Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP000040A
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00:01 The Bible tells us, "In the beginning was the Word,
00:04 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 00:08 It says, "To receive with meekness 00:10 the implanted Word, 00:12 which is able to save your souls. 00:14 And to be diligent to present yourself 00:16 approved to God 00:18 rightly dividing the Word of truth." 00:21 Join us now for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:26 Our study today is 00:27 "Salvation by Faith Alone" the Book of Romans. 00:33 Hello, and welcome to 3ABN Sabbath school lesson study. 00:36 My name is John Lomacang, I'm the pastor here 00:38 at the Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist church, 00:40 but I'm joined with a wonderful host of panelist 00:43 that are going to walk us 00:44 through one of the most exciting studies 00:46 of the Book of Romans 00:47 which to me is the place where the gospel of the past 00:50 and the future and the present comes together, 00:53 as the Apostle Paul walks us 00:55 through not only his personal journey, 00:57 but the journey of the Christian church at Rome, 00:59 and it ties in Galatia, 01:01 and a number of other aspects of the New Testament. 01:03 But we'd like to invite you to join us in this study, 01:06 if you have your Bibles. 01:07 We'll tell you in just a moment 01:09 how to get a copy of the lesson, 01:10 where you can download the Sabbath school lesson 01:12 and follow along with us, but before we do anything else, 01:14 we always begin with the word of prayer. 01:16 Mollie, would you have prayer for us? 01:18 Holy Father, we come before You in the name of Jesus, 01:20 and, Father, we are so grateful for Your presence 01:23 that we sense here. 01:24 Father, we do just open up our hearts and our lives to You 01:27 and ask, Lord, that You would flow through us, 01:29 that You would use us to bring a hope, 01:32 and health, and healing, 01:33 and deliverance Your word, Father, 01:35 to those that need it so badly. 01:37 And, Father, we pray for everyone 01:38 that's listening that even now you'd open up their hearts 01:41 that this word would go forth, 01:43 it would be planted securely in their hearts 01:45 and all of our lives would be changed 01:47 into Your image and likeness, 01:49 that's our prayer today, in Jesus' name, amen. 01:52 Amen. Amen. 01:54 The topic of study is "Salvation by Faith Alone". 01:58 And now you know in this day and age 02:00 where so many issues are being catapulted back and forth, 02:04 so many new issues 02:05 that are confronting the modern church. 02:07 In our study together, 02:09 we'll discover that many of our modern issues 02:10 are not really modern but just regurgitated, 02:13 they have been resurrected, 02:15 and many of the controversies of the past 02:17 are now in the present, 02:18 and we see many of them shaping up for the future. 02:21 But to get a copy of the lesson to follow us along, 02:23 go to ABSG.Adventist.org 02:28 and download Salvation by Faith Alone, 02:31 the Book of Romans. 02:33 And we're gonna be covering five different days, 02:37 Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 02:39 beginning with the Apostle Paul's letter, 02:42 then Pastor CA, a Paul's desire to visit Rome, 02:45 then Mollie Steenson, a Paul in Rome, 02:47 then Shelley Quinn, the saints in Rome, 02:50 and there should be saints everywhere, amen? 02:52 Amen. 02:53 And then finally Jill, believers in Roman. 02:55 Jill is surely a believer. 02:57 But let's begin with the Apostle, 03:00 the Apostle Paul's letter. 03:02 Now, what I'd like to begin with and I'd like each of you, 03:04 you can register your comments, 03:06 I'd like to give each person a chance to say something. 03:10 The Book of Romans 03:12 deals with vital issues and vital topics. 03:16 And I thank the Lord for that because He brings together 03:20 what I would consider some of the best definitions 03:23 when it comes to sin. 03:25 Now sin is defined in the Greek, 03:27 but Paul deals with it in five particular areas, 03:31 and I like to begin by talking about that 03:32 before we get into the timing of the Book of Romans. 03:36 First, he begins with the word hamartema, 03:40 which means falling short. 03:42 In other words, there is a mark in every Christian's life, 03:45 God has a mark. 03:46 You know, when Paul says, press toward the mark, 03:49 for the prize of the upward call of God 03:50 in Christ Jesus. 03:52 He's saying, God has a mark for us, a righteous mark, 03:55 and falling short is the word hamartema, 03:59 meaning missing the mark. 04:00 I know there's a mark. 04:02 I have aimed toward it but because of my weakness, 04:05 because of my sinful nature I've missed the mark. 04:08 And that is not as bad as the next one 04:11 which falling short goes to unrighteousness next. 04:16 Which is the Greek word adikía, 04:20 meaning to do wrong, 04:22 to be dishonest, to be unjust, 04:25 they're not even aiming at the mark, 04:27 they're living a life of dishonesty, 04:28 they just want to do wrong, 04:30 they just want to be unjust, unjust. 04:33 Which takes us to the third one and we'll break this down 04:35 in the lesson later on trespass. 04:37 Oh, you've heard the phrase forgive us our trespasses, 04:41 as we forgive those who trespass against us. 04:44 Trespass is a very interesting sin 04:46 because it is one that you should have done right 04:49 because you knew better. 04:51 Forgive us our trespasses comes from the Greek word, 04:55 para toma, paraptoma. 04:58 In other words you should have resisted, 05:01 you should have done right. 05:02 So when the Bible says, "Forgive us our trespasses" 05:05 a parent might say, you should have known better. 05:08 The Lord is saying to us, we should have known better, 05:10 we should have done right, 05:12 and that's different from falling short 05:13 or unrighteousness. 05:15 The other one, anomia, which is the word iniquity. 05:20 It's another, it's also defined lawlessness, 05:22 meaning intentional sin. 05:25 And the difference between falling short 05:27 and intentional sin is falling short says, 05:31 we aimed at the mark and missed it, 05:33 but iniquity which is anomia, 05:35 mean we refused to aim at the mark. 05:39 I don't even care about the mark. 05:41 I'm just going to live how I want to live. 05:42 I don't really care about it. 05:44 I know there's a mark, I'm not going to aim for it, 05:46 I'm going to be who I am. 05:48 And therefore another phrase for iniquity is cherished sin. 05:52 We become so comfortable with it, we just embrace it. 05:56 And finally, ungodliness, asebeia, ungodliness. 06:02 Now this is, to me, 06:04 this is probably one of the worst of all 06:06 because asebeia is not only rebellion against God, 06:10 but it means tearing down the mark. 06:13 Meaning if I can tear down the mark, 06:15 then nobody else will aim at the mark. 06:17 Asebeia means the atheist 06:20 who says, I don't believe in God, 06:22 I'm going to fight against God, 06:24 I'm gonna make sure that you don't believe in God, 06:26 so he's tearing down the mark, not aiming at the mark, 06:29 not even refused to aim, 06:31 but he's going to fight against everything 06:33 that identifies us with God. 06:35 And so in our study, 06:38 we're going to discover all of those falling short, 06:40 unrighteousness, trespass, iniquity and ungodliness. 06:45 Any comments before I go any further? 06:46 John, I want to add on a couple of these, 06:49 particularly paraptoma because when you have para, 06:54 you have this alongside idea. 06:56 Yes, right. 06:57 Paraptoma comes with the idea of running on a parallel track, 07:01 but you're not really on the mark, 07:03 you're running alongside. 07:05 The train off the track. 07:07 Precisely it's like, you've got a track here, 07:08 you've got a track here. 07:10 They're running in the same direction, 07:11 but they're not really together, 07:12 they're just running parallel. 07:14 And sometimes we as Christians can do that, 07:15 we're running, we're not really on the beam, 07:17 we're kind of just parallel to the beam 07:18 and you think you're on the beam 07:20 but you're not, you're parallel, 07:21 so you can deceive yourself into thinking 07:23 I'm really there when I am not. 07:25 And anomia also gives the idea of total lawlessness, 07:30 of anarchy that's what I want, that is the same root word. 07:35 And asebeia is interesting 07:38 because it refuses to even accept 07:40 that there is a law to be kept. 07:42 You're just living a totally lawless life. 07:44 It's not even in your mind that, you know, 07:45 to the fullest that is there is no God. 07:48 So you have that idea that they don't even accept the idea 07:50 that is something I need to do, I'm just living for myself, 07:53 I'm living unto myself, 07:55 and I think each of those gives, 07:56 John, a certain nuance to sin 08:00 and everybody falls under one of those categories 08:02 who is not walking with the Lord. 08:04 And we'll find in our further studies 08:06 that Romans 1 deals with that whole idea that we just, 08:09 we don't care about, we don't want to acknowledge God, 08:11 we know He exists, 08:13 we just want to push Him out of our minds. 08:14 And I would say there is no depth 08:16 to which sin can take us 08:17 when we decide to turn our hearts against God. 08:20 But let's go ahead and establish 08:22 the Apostle Paul's letter, 08:23 because I think the lesson begins by 08:25 wanting us to understand the context 08:27 of when this letter was written, 08:29 and it makes a difference because when you, 08:31 if you pick up the wrong newspaper 08:33 you could quote the wrong, 08:34 you could talk about something 08:36 that doesn't even have any meaning any longer. 08:38 So since the writings of the Apostle Paul 08:41 are like newsletters, 08:43 it's important to understand the context the generation 08:45 in which this was written and the time. 08:47 Let's go to Romans 16:1-2, 08:51 and my portion is not very long, 08:53 I'll lay some foundation and allow the other panelists 08:55 to delve more into establishing 08:58 the credibility of this particular letter 09:01 of the Book of Romans. 09:03 Romans 16:1, "I commend to you Phoebe our sister, 09:08 who is a servant of the church in Cenchreae, 09:13 that you may receive her in the Lord, 09:15 in a manner worthy of the saints, 09:17 and assist her in whatever business 09:20 she has need of you, 09:21 for indeed she has been a helper of many 09:25 and of myself also." 09:27 We don't often hear that city mentioned, 09:30 but when you look at the itinerant, 09:33 the journeys of Paul the Apostle, 09:35 you'll discover that according to theologians 09:38 and those who have put together 09:41 the timing of when these letters were written, 09:43 they suggest it was about AD 58 09:47 that the Book of Romans was written. 09:50 And so having no reason to rebuttal that, 09:53 I think that the context of it makes a difference 09:55 because Paul not only visited Rome, 09:58 but he visited churches in Galatia. 10:00 And the gospel in the Book of Romans, 10:04 I think that Galatia to me or the Book of Galatians 10:07 is a sister book 10:08 because it deals with some of the very same issues, 10:10 the law, the law versus grace. 10:13 The Jews in reference to the ceremonial law 10:16 and the moral law. 10:17 And so, since the church was so new at that time 10:21 because the ascension of Jesus 10:22 if we follow this very carefully was around 31AD. 10:25 So you have about 27 years later, 10:27 the church is still in a developmental stage. 10:30 Jerusalem has not yet been destroyed 70 AD, 10:34 so you have these issues that are just on the back burner, 10:37 and the Jews that rejected Jesus 10:40 are pushing hard against the Jews that accepted Jesus, 10:43 the converts, the proselytes, 10:44 and the gentiles that are now become 10:46 recipients of this wonderful gospel. 10:49 And so I want to point out very carefully in Acts 18:23, 10:53 the reality that Paul's letters 10:55 extended far beyond the region of just Rome. 10:58 Acts 18:23, says, "And he had spent some time there, 11:02 after he had spent some time there, 11:05 he departed and went over to the region of Galatia 11:07 and Phrygia, 11:09 in order strengthening all the disciples." 11:13 Now we'll discover the challenges 11:15 that Galatia resembled the challenges 11:17 that we face today. 11:19 And I don't want to spend a ton of time on this 11:22 but I want to point out that, 11:25 the issues that the New Testament church confronted, 11:29 to our surprise many of those issues are coming up today. 11:33 Whether or not there are portions of the ceremonial law 11:36 that still needs to be honored, 11:39 or whether it is sufficient 11:41 to understand the portions of the ceremonial law 11:43 that gave way to the life of Christ. 11:46 Let's look very carefully and I want you to see this. 11:52 Exodus 32:1. 11:55 And what's happened here is 11:58 Paul's delay to revisit the churches at Rome, 12:02 his absence from the churches at Rome 12:06 gave license to many of the false teachers 12:10 that wanted to now bring up new controversies. 12:13 And I know this and many of us know, Pastor CA, 12:15 I know, he knows this, 12:17 the phrase that I like to use is 12:19 when the pastor is out of town, 12:22 false teachers look for opportunities 12:24 to come in and to sow discord. 12:27 As a pastor's wife you've known that to be true, Mollie, 12:28 am I correct? 12:30 That's true. 12:31 Usually they wait for the shepherd 12:33 to be out of town for them to begin to attack the sheep. 12:35 And the same issue occurred in the days of Moses. 12:39 Exodus 32:1, the Bible says, 12:41 "Now when the people saw that Moses delayed 12:44 coming down from the mountain, 12:46 that the people gathered together to Aaron, 12:48 they look for another leader, and said to him, 12:50 "Come make us gods that shall go before us. 12:53 For as for this Moses the man who brought us up 12:57 out of the land of Egypt, 12:58 we do not know what has become of him." 13:01 And then Matthew 26:31. 13:03 Now we come back to the New Testament application of that, 13:07 Matthew 26, Then Jesus said to them, 13:11 "All of you will be made to stumble 13:13 because of Me this night, for it is written: 13:16 'I will strike the Shepherd, 13:18 and the sheep of the flock will be scattered."' 13:21 So false teachers often encourage individuals 13:24 to begin to embrace those things 13:26 that would not be embraced 13:28 if the teacher was still in town. 13:31 And so what we're going to look at today is the issues 13:34 that confronted 13:35 establishing the date of the Apostle Paul's letter. 13:38 Now I'm going to turn to Pastor CA 13:41 to talk about Paul's desire to visit Rome. 13:43 Why did he want to go to Rome? 13:47 He wanted to go because he's a pastor at heart. 13:50 Okay. 13:52 There's so much in this book and it's such a wonderful book. 13:54 One of the things that sort of jumps out at you right away 13:57 is Paul, the nuance in the way 14:00 Paul dealt with the particular churches. 14:03 He had a very paternal relationship 14:06 with all of his churches, even an avuncular relationship, 14:09 he was the parent, the daddy of those churches. 14:13 And he patted them on the back or spanked them on the bottom, 14:18 depending on what he felt 14:20 they needed at that particular time. 14:22 So last quarter we dealt 14:25 with what was a little more of a spank on the bottom, 14:27 he was very firm. 14:29 With Rome, he didn't have to be quite 14:31 that that fatherly quite that, 14:35 I don't want to say dictatorial, 14:37 but he didn't have to be quite the disciplinarian, 14:39 he had to be more of the theologian, 14:40 he had to show them 14:41 because some of the same errors were coming in... 14:43 That's right 14:45 But they were dealing with them in a slightly different way. 14:47 So we see this nuance in the way 14:49 he's dealing with the church at Rome. 14:51 Of course, he wants to come back to all of them, 14:55 those who pastored, Mollie, 14:56 you are the wife of a pastor, and co-pastor. 14:58 John, you know this also 15:00 that they tell you in school 15:01 and you find that it works out that way 15:04 that if you want to be a successful pastor, 15:06 you need to get in the homes of your members. 15:08 You need to visit them. 15:10 You can deal with things 15:11 much better sitting on the couch 15:13 than you can preach them from pulpit, 15:14 that's just the truth. 15:16 Right. 15:17 Certain things have to be addressed 15:18 to the whole church, 15:20 but the other things that 15:21 are better work in the home face to face 15:22 and even in this age where we are so internet savvy, 15:26 and so internet dependent, and we tweet, 15:29 and we do other kinds of things, 15:31 one on one, home to home, member to member, 15:36 pastor to member is still the best, 15:38 and so he wanted to come back 15:40 because there were things that needed his attention. 15:42 But sometimes even though 15:44 you want to come, you cannot come. 15:46 So the best that you can do 15:48 is to begin to write and address those things 15:50 through the printed page 15:53 and through letters, so he wanted to come. 15:55 And then also, Paul was an evangelist, 16:00 he was the evangelist, evangelist, 16:02 and what do evangelist have to do? 16:04 They got to evangelize. 16:05 You got to go through 16:07 those dark communities and keep sharing. 16:08 And so, 16:09 this idea that I have to go other places 16:12 and I have to share the gospel kept him from doing all that, 16:15 and he did three missionary journeys, 16:16 he was doing that, 16:18 but sometimes he's able to go back and stay, 16:20 sometimes he was not able to go back and say 16:22 and we see this. 16:24 So Paul had a very, very strong relationship, 16:27 parental relationship with his churches. 16:31 I recall Ellen White going to a meeting 16:33 with her husband James shortly, 16:34 I want to say 1846 or so. 16:38 They went to a church in New England, 16:40 not a church but a house meeting. 16:42 And she said, 16:43 when we got there the thing that, 16:45 that sort of confronted 16:47 everybody had their own opinion. 16:48 Everybody was fighting to get the floor, 16:50 you know, and she didn't do this often 16:52 but she said at this time, 16:53 she said, first of all, 16:54 we didn't come here to listen to you. 16:56 She said, we came here to teach, not to learn. 16:59 Because everybody's got some error, 17:00 and if we spend time wading through all this error, 17:03 we will never get anything done, 17:05 so here's what we're going to do. 17:07 You guys are going to listen, and we're going to teach, 17:09 because what we got is coming from the Lord. 17:12 And when you have confusion, 17:13 the first thing you have to do is get some order, 17:17 you've got to get some order, and that's what Paul is doing. 17:19 We've got to get some order so that we can do some things 17:22 and we can move forward. 17:23 So you've got to establish order. 17:25 And Paul in his letter to the Romans, 17:26 the whole letter, 17:28 I'm so glad that this is a topical study 17:30 as opposed to purely chronological 17:32 because that allows us to sort of wade into this stuff 17:34 in order of topical importance, 17:38 because we see Paul doing that same thing. 17:41 So one of the duties of Paul 17:44 which is also one of the duties of us 17:46 as pastors is to train. 17:52 There are not enough pastors in the world 17:55 so that everybody can have their own individual pastor, 17:58 or everybody can have, 17:59 every church can have its own individual pastor. 18:01 One of the duties of pastors is to train, 18:04 and that's one of the things 18:06 that Paul spent a good portion of his life 18:08 doing training so that when he left, 18:10 there were those in charge 18:11 who could carry forward the work of the gospel. 18:13 And isn't it interesting panel that the places 18:16 where the church is going the faster, 18:18 fastest on earth are the places that have the fewest pastors. 18:24 Now that says something and I know what it says, 18:27 I don't know that's what I want to say it, 18:29 but what we're saying is that, if a pastor's doing his job, 18:32 he's training. 18:34 He is leaving, equipping, 18:38 he is leaving a legacy behind him, 18:40 so that when he is not there, the church can move forward. 18:42 And that of course is what Paul had to do. 18:44 He would start a church, 18:46 if there were problems 18:47 he would try to redress those problems, 18:48 but his call was to be an evangelist, 18:50 and evangelist has to go out and evangelize. 18:52 So he wants to go back because his heart is there, 18:55 there are people who are there he loves, 18:57 but he's got to keep moving. 18:59 And so you've got this tension 19:00 that we see in this part of the lesson. 19:02 I want to move through some stuff 19:03 before we get too fast. 19:05 One quick note, 19:06 and that's what he meant when he said, 19:08 Paul planted Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 19:09 God gave the increase, yes, yes. 19:11 He always started something, 19:12 but trained somebody to take it over and carried on. 19:14 Precisely, my goal is to go into new areas, 19:16 you saw with mentoring other individuals 19:18 to come behind him. 19:20 I've got some quotes 19:22 from Ellen White where she says, 19:23 "A large amount of means spent in a few places 19:26 is against Christian principles." 19:29 She says, "That every part of the work of God 19:33 needs to be supported by the people of God." 19:34 And you notice that, 19:36 Paul touches on this in this part of Romans. 19:38 He's saying, those of you in Romans 19:41 who have money need to spend 19:43 some of that money in support of the gospel. 19:46 Now that's good for all churches and all ages, 19:49 and we see it here in the Spirit of Prophecy. 19:50 First of all, 19:51 I'm going to Testimonies, page 141, 19:54 Ellen White tells us, 19:55 "We ought to cheerfully expend our money 19:58 to advance the gospel." 19:59 You know, I was telling a church 20:01 the other day that calls for our sacrifice 20:07 as we go towards the end of time. 20:08 Pastor John, they're not going to decrease. 20:10 No. They're going to increase. 20:12 There won't be less of a cause to support, 20:17 there will be more causes to support. 20:19 So Paul is telling them, I'm gonna need your help, 20:24 and the church is going to need your help, 20:25 and the work of God deserves your help. 20:28 Well, how sad it would be 20:30 for a person who is a child of God to die 20:32 and leave millions of dollars in the bank unspent. 20:36 That's, you know, I'd like to die broke. 20:40 But I'd like to be broke about one day before I die, 20:44 so that the work of God is taken care of. 20:46 You know, you have a burden 20:47 to see the work of God taken care of. 20:49 And of course, Ellen White tells us, 20:50 God gives people means 20:52 so that they can use 20:54 those means in support of the work of God. 20:55 That's right. 20:56 And so Paul is alluding to that, 20:58 those of you in Rome who have means, 21:00 and the Roman Church is a little different 21:02 that you're in established city, 21:03 you have people who are being converted 21:05 who are not poverty stricken, they have means, 21:08 and he's encouraging them to use those means 21:10 in support of the work of God. 21:12 I've got one more, 21:14 Sixth Volume of the Testimonies, page 442, 21:18 she says, 21:19 "Use your means to give light to the darkened nations." 21:25 And this is what Paul is saying, 21:26 as I come through and go other places, 21:28 I'm going to need your assistance 21:29 as we move along and try to take the gospel 21:32 to the darken age. 21:34 Remember the Christian church was a nascent church 21:36 during the first century. 21:38 And any time you're trying to establish something new, 21:41 there are weeds to be taken out, 21:43 there's encouragement to be given, 21:45 and Paul is called to do all of these, 21:46 and so we get this call even here at the end of time. 21:50 As the work of God goes from place to place, 21:52 it's going to need your support if it is to go 21:55 where God wants it to go, and when God wants it to go. 21:58 Just couple more things and then I'm done. 22:02 Adventism began sending out missionaries in the 1870s, 22:06 I think Jan Andrews was the first, 22:08 if he wasn't the first, 22:09 he is close to the first, in the 1870. 22:11 Two principles accrue from that, 22:14 and we see it outlined here in the Book of Romans. 22:17 One, go and tell. 22:18 Once you know you have to go, and the other is know and tell. 22:24 Once you know, you got to tell. 22:26 If you cannot go, 22:28 then you got to support those who do go. 22:30 That's the biblical principle. 22:32 Everybody cannot go 22:34 but everybody can do something 22:35 in support of those who are going, 22:38 and that's what we need to do. 22:39 Now I look at my time come down to just a minute and change. 22:43 Those who know ought to help those who go, 22:47 the work in entered areas by nature has no support, 22:52 it has no support network. 22:53 So funds should come from the established work. 22:57 So Paul is saying those who in Rome 22:59 who have a little more solidarity, 23:01 you're a little more solvent, 23:02 I'm going to need help from you 23:04 to support the advancement of the gospel, 23:06 and that is as God would have it. 23:09 There was a time when almost all of the budget 23:12 for the General Conference come from the United States. 23:14 Well now, it's beginning to spread out 23:16 because other areas are developing 23:18 more established ways of raising money, 23:20 so it's not all on the United States anymore, 23:22 but there was a time when it was almost, 23:24 I mean the General Commerce budget was 80, 23:26 90% money coming from America. 23:28 And as these mission fields began to stand on their own, 23:31 then they did indeed stand on their own. 23:33 Well, this is what Paul is alluding to 23:34 that we need to work together 23:36 to lift up the gospel and spread the gospel. 23:39 He wanted to go back to Rome, his desire was, 23:41 but he had some work to do 23:43 and God called him to finish that work. 23:44 But he needed the help of the established churches 23:47 to help him to go to the new areas 23:49 and shed the light of the gospel, Mollie. 23:50 That's right. That's right. 23:52 So we've got Rome up, Paul who is saying, 23:54 I want to go to Rome but he's not there yet. 23:58 Let's turn to Romans 15 we're going to look at. 24:03 Paul and how he actually got to Rome. 24:06 Now, Paul was a missionary to whom? 24:09 To the gentiles. To the gentiles. 24:11 So Rome, Rome was fully gentiles, was it not? 24:16 And so, Paul says in Romans 15, 24:20 we're going to read verses 23-25, says, 24:24 "But now no longer having a place in these parts, 24:28 and having a great desire 24:31 these many years to come to you. 24:32 Paul had a great desire in his heart to go to Rome. 24:36 Whenever I journey to Spain, he says, I shall come to you. 24:40 For I hope to see you on my journey, 24:43 and to be helped on my way there by you, 24:45 he was looking for help from them, 24:47 if first time they enjoy your company for a while. 24:50 Now the difference in Galatians him, 24:52 the letter he wrote to Galatians 24:54 and the one that he's writing here to Rome, 24:56 now he addresses a lot of the same issues 24:58 in the context of the letter, 25:00 but in Galatians they were obviously 25:03 and, you know, some coming against, 25:07 he says the gospel that I preached to you 25:10 but now where as here in Rome, 25:13 he's not addressing those issues specifically. 25:17 He is also wanting to come and let's go in here, 25:20 for I hope to see you on my journey 25:22 and to be helped on my way there by you, 25:25 if first I may enjoy your company for a while 25:28 but now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. 25:33 So he's on his way to Jerusalem 25:35 and he's going there to minister to the saints, 25:38 but in the letter he writes, I want to come to you, 25:41 he wants to go to Rome to be with the people there. 25:44 And so what happened to Paul when he went to Jerusalem? 25:48 What happened to Paul? 25:50 He got arrested. 25:51 Paul got himself arrested. 25:54 You see it was a crime to be a Christian at this time. 25:57 And what was Paul arrested for? 26:01 Jewish religious, 26:02 religious leaders stirred up the people 26:05 and made false accusations against Paul. 26:09 The Roman officials learned of a plot 26:12 to have Paul assassinated and sneaked him out of town. 26:17 So what I believe it was a nephew of Paul's 26:19 went to the Roman officials and said 26:21 I just overheard this plot and these... 26:26 They're going to take Paul and they're going to kill him. 26:29 And so the Roman officials took Paul 26:32 and they snuck him out of town. 26:33 Guess where they took him? 26:35 They took him to Herod's palace, 26:38 and he was at Herod's palace for about two years, 26:42 and then after being in Herod's palace 26:45 for about two years, 26:46 he was the one that said, 26:47 you know, I don't believe 26:49 this is ever going to be resolved 26:50 unless I go to Rome. 26:51 Now what was Paul's goal in the first place? 26:55 Where does he say he wants to go? 26:57 He wants to go to Rome. 26:58 So Paul takes the ship, remember the story of the ship, 27:02 and there's a shipwreck 27:04 and really it's almost three years later 27:08 from the time Paul went up to Jerusalem 27:11 to minister to them there, 27:12 and then he was going to go from Jerusalem to Rome, 27:16 and it was about three years later 27:18 but you know where he round up? 27:20 Right where he wanted to be all along. 27:22 Paul's intention was to go to the believers in Rome. 27:26 Now Acts 28:16. 27:30 Let's read this, go to Acts 28:16. 27:34 He says, now, when we came to Rome, 27:37 so now he's coming, 27:38 the centurion delivered the prisoners. 27:41 Now Paul is a prisoner and he was taken to Rome 27:46 as a prisoner. 27:47 And so Rome's Acts 28:16 now, "When he came to Rome, 27:51 the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain 27:54 of the guard, 27:55 but Paul was permitted to dwell by himself 27:58 with the soldier who guarded him." 28:00 Now why was Paul allowed to have his own place? 28:04 He had his own dwelling to live in, 28:07 he had a guard and actually he was enchained, 28:10 but the reason was because Paul was a Roman citizen 28:14 always a Roman citizen. 28:17 Now, it might look like poor Paul was a prisoner 28:21 and God wasn't in control, 28:24 but the end result was exactly what God wanted for Paul, 28:28 and it's exactly what Paul had determined to do. 28:32 Now I ask this question. 28:34 Have you ever been in a situation 28:37 where it looked like 28:38 everything was going wrong only to find out 28:42 that it hadn't gone wrong at all. 28:45 The adverse situation that you find yourself 28:48 in was the very thing needed to put you in the exact place 28:54 that God wanted you to be. 28:55 Now, I think about that some years ago, 28:58 I can't remember, it's like 25 or 26 years ago, 29:01 I don't know long time ago. 29:03 I went through a really difficult time 29:05 and I thought this had to be the enemy, 29:08 there's no way this could be God. 29:10 Look at all this... 29:11 My whole world's fallen apart. 29:13 You know what? 29:14 I threw them all of that, 29:15 God used every bit of that 29:17 to bring me right into the place 29:18 that He wanted me to be. 29:19 And I think about Pastor Lomacang, 29:21 you know, God wanted him in the Midwest. 29:24 Actually, he wanted Pastor Lomacang here 29:26 with us at 3ABN. 29:28 It took... 29:29 There was a little convoluted process 29:32 that you had to go through, 29:33 it look like adversity but what was the end result? 29:36 It got you right here where God wanted you. 29:40 In Acts 28. 29:43 Let's look at verses 17 through 31. 29:46 We're going to look at these. 29:48 Acts 28:17. 29:50 "And it came to pass, after three days." 29:53 Now Paul is in Rome. 29:55 And remember he's in his own housing, 29:57 he's guarded actually, he has a chain on. 30:00 But he says after three days after Paul got to Rome, 30:03 this is what he did. 30:05 He called the leaders of the Jews. 30:06 Now remember the reason Paul is enchained to start with. 30:09 In Jerusalem the Jews lied about him 30:13 and got him put in chains. 30:16 And he explained to those Jews 30:19 that were in Rome what happened. 30:21 And you know what they said? 30:23 We haven't heard about anything. 30:24 This is so amazing. 30:26 I guess, I want to read it to you. 30:27 Then they said, 30:29 "We need to receive letters from Judea." 30:32 Verse 22, is what I want you to see. 30:35 But we desire... 30:36 Now this is the Jews in Rome but we desire to hear from you 30:40 what you think for concerning this. 30:43 What's that word? 30:44 Sect. Sect. 30:45 Now what sect are we talking about? 30:47 Christianity. Christianity. 30:48 We know that it is spoken against every where. 30:52 Verse 23. 30:53 So when they had appointed him a day, 30:55 they gave Paul a day 30:57 where they wanted to hear about this sect. 30:59 Now, do you think 31:00 Paul could have come in there teaching that? 31:02 And they're just receiving, no, it's because he is in bonds. 31:06 And so, many came to him 31:08 at his lodging to whom he explained 31:10 and solemnly testified of the Kingdom of God 31:14 persuading them concerning Jesus, 31:16 from both the law of Moses and the prophet 31:20 He had him an audience that... 31:23 He didn't have to go get, you know what? 31:24 They came to his house. 31:26 And some were persuaded 31:27 by the things which were spoken, 31:29 and some disbelieved. 31:30 Now is that not still true today? 31:32 Still true today. Verse 28. Let's read that. 31:34 "Therefore let it be known to you 31:36 that the salvation of God has been sent to the gentiles 31:39 and they will hear it 31:41 and when he had said these words, 31:43 the Jews departed 31:44 and had a great spirit amongst themselves." 31:47 But you know what? 31:48 Many believed. Verse 30. 31:50 Then Paul dwelt two whole years, 31:53 that's what the Bible says. 31:54 Two whole years, Paul dwelt there. 31:57 He was in his own dwelling. 31:59 He had people coming in and he was preaching 32:03 and proclaiming the gospel, 32:05 the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. 32:07 They said from morning till night, 32:09 two whole years in his own rented house 32:11 and received all who came to him, 32:14 preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things 32:16 which concern the Lord Jesus Christ 32:18 with all confidence. 32:20 No one forbidding him. 32:22 That's what happens 32:23 when you are in the center of God's will, 32:25 and he takes you from where you are 32:27 and put you right where he wants you to be. 32:30 Although it might look like, 32:31 you're in adverse situation or adverse circumstances, 32:34 God can be magnified and glorified 32:37 in any situation you found yourself in. 32:40 Sister White tells us not by Paul sermons 32:45 but by his bonds was the attention 32:48 of the chord attracted to Christianity. 32:51 And then in Philippians 1:12, Paul says this. 32:55 "But I want you to know brethren that the things 32:58 which happen to me..." 32:59 Remember all those adverse situations 33:01 and circumstances. 33:03 "Have actually turned out 33:05 for the furtherance of the gospel." 33:06 So my encouragement to every one of us, 33:11 allow Him to lead you and direct you. 33:14 Doesn't matter what the circumstances 33:15 are you're going through, 33:17 if you trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, 33:18 He will put you right where He wants you. 33:20 Amen. Shelley Quinn. 33:22 Well, you know, the thing I love most 33:24 about the Book of Romans is that Paul... 33:29 I love Paul's writings but as you said, 33:31 it explains salvation by grace through faith. 33:35 And there's no question about it. 33:38 As a matter of fact this book is good. 33:41 You know, we can say 33:43 this spurred on the reformation. 33:47 Martin Luther found so much in this book but our... 33:52 We didn't do our memory verse, I'd like to read that, 33:55 it says, Romans 1:8, is our memory verse, it says. 33:59 "First, I thank my God 34:01 through Jesus Christ for you all 34:04 and that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world." 34:09 So we see that this group in Rome 34:14 had a very strong faith. 34:16 They were loving the Lord. Yes. 34:19 Now they had some issues, 34:21 Paul is going to address 34:22 some localized issues in this book, 34:25 but what his epistle does really is it puts forward 34:30 the universal principles of how we can be saved. 34:36 So when we think 34:37 about the Roman Empire at this time 34:39 it had spread over most of Europe, 34:42 North Africa and the Near East, but Rome was the capital. 34:46 It was a cultural center. 34:49 It was morally corrupt and they worshipped pagan gods, 34:54 there are many pagans. 34:56 So Christians stood out 34:59 because of their ethical behavior 35:01 and my Monday or Wednesdays, 35:04 my text to dissect is Romans 1:7, 35:08 which is Paul's salutation to the Rome 35:13 through the Church of Rome. 35:15 So let me read that, Romans 1:7. 35:17 He starts his book out saying, "To all who are in Rome, 35:21 beloved of God called to be saints. 35:25 Grace to you and peace from God our Father 35:29 and the Lord Jesus Christ." 35:32 Now it would be so easy to read that scripture 35:34 and just to kind of whiz on bombastic 35:36 as he's just saying, hi. 35:38 But he packs so much theology and truth and faith 35:41 into the principles of truth and faith into this salutation. 35:46 So let's kind of take that apart. 35:48 He's saying "To all who are in Rome..." 35:51 He says, beloved of God, 35:52 that root word is agape and you know, 35:56 it is God's infinite love that is behind his salvation 36:01 when you think of how he sent his son, 36:04 he tells us later in Romans 36:05 how God sent His Son to die for us 36:08 while we were yet sinemies, 36:10 while we were yet sinners and enemies. 36:13 Sinemies that's a good... I just coined a new word. 36:15 That's a good word. 36:16 But it is God's love is the motivation 36:22 behind Christ death on the cross 36:24 when you think about that. 36:26 He has a love for his whole creation. 36:29 God loves all. 36:33 But He has a very special love 36:36 for those who respond to His invitation of grace, 36:39 who receive His son, acknowledge, 36:42 acknowledging Him as their Lord and Savior. 36:46 So God loves all but there is His special love 36:49 and I love what 36:51 this Sabbath school quarterly said, 36:52 I want to quote from this. 36:54 It says, "Love demands response." 36:58 When the response is not forth coming, 37:02 love is limited in its fullest expression. 37:07 So it is... 37:09 God's love is looking for a response 37:13 and as we love Him, 37:15 then what it will happen is it opens up the avenue, 37:21 the grace pipeline 37:23 if you will that He can send us more, 37:26 more fully express His love. 37:28 How do we respond to God's love? 37:32 In John 14:2, 37:34 I'm gonna read verses 21 and 23 from the Amplified. 37:37 It says, "The person who has My commands..." 37:40 This is Jesus speaking. 37:42 "The one who has My commands and keeps them 37:45 is the one who really loves me. 37:47 And who ever really loves me will be loved by My father 37:51 in a special way 37:52 and I too will love him and will show him, 37:55 will reveal or manifest myself to him. 37:58 I will let myself be clearly seen by him. 38:02 I'll make myself real to him." 38:05 And then Jesus said also, "If a person really loves me, 38:09 he will keep My word, 38:10 he will obey My teaching" is what he is saying. 38:15 "And My Father will love him." 38:20 See so there is a special love that God feels for the people 38:25 who respond to Jesus and walk in obedience 38:28 and we will come to Him and make our home with them. 38:33 So they will abide with us 38:35 and we will be their special dwelling place. 38:37 How do we measure love? 38:40 We measure love by our conduct and by our actions. 38:43 Absolutely. 38:48 is determined by our commitment. 38:52 And the believers in Rome were very committed to Christ. 38:57 They were the beloved of God. 38:59 Then he goes on in that and he says, 39:00 "To all who are in Rome beloved of God..." 39:03 I'm back in Romans 1:7, "Called to be saints". 39:06 Now to be was not the words 39:08 to be was not in the original Greek, 39:11 it was added by the translators. 39:13 And I think the meaning is more evident without it. 39:17 In other words 39:18 it would read beloved God called saints 39:21 because all Christians are called saints. 39:26 We are all holy ones. We are all. 39:30 To be a saint just means to be set apart 39:32 for God's purpose. 39:34 We all are made saints by the sovereign call of God. 39:39 This is a sacred title for Christians really 39:42 but all of us are. 39:44 If you've accepted Christ, you are a saint. 39:47 It is or set apart just like Israel was set apart, 39:52 just like the objects in the... 39:56 I mean, in the temple were set apart and sanctified. 39:59 We've been set apart, sanctified by faith in Jesus, 40:04 Acts, 26:18 says. 40:06 Let me read that actually 40:08 because it's one of my favorite scriptures. 40:09 I don't even have to read it. 40:11 In Acts 26: 18, 40:12 when Jesus was talking to Paul, 40:14 He said, He's calling him, 40:17 He's saying I'm gonna go sent you 40:18 to the gentiles and he says, 40:19 to open their eyes to turn them 40:21 from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, 40:25 that they may receive an inheritance of those 40:29 who have been sanctified by faith in Me. 40:33 So sanctification by faith was introduced 40:37 to Paul right there on the road to Damascus. 40:41 So the saints are the holy ones 40:44 that have been set apart by God. 40:46 There are two types of holiness 40:49 and that's what sanctification holiness are synonyms. 40:53 And they both mean to be set apart 40:54 but there are two types of holiness. 40:58 First there is positional holiness. 41:00 Then there is practical holiness. 41:03 Positionally we're declared holy 41:06 because we are in Christ. 41:09 Ephesians 1:4 says that, 41:10 "He chose us in Him 41:13 before the foundation of the world 41:14 that we should be holy 41:16 and without blame before him in love." 41:19 So Paul was a saint who is sanctified 41:22 to spread the gospel to the nations, 41:24 but he wanted the church members to know 41:26 that every one of them were also saints set apart 41:31 for the same purpose. 41:32 It had nothing to do with their spiritual gifts, 41:35 it had nothing to do with their education 41:38 or their assertion to moral perfection. 41:41 It was simply the call of God. 41:44 And by the way, I have to say 41:45 this because sainthood is, 41:49 has nothing to do with the restrictive practice 41:52 that later rose in the Church of Rome, 41:56 in the Catholic Church where they canonized 41:59 dead Christians with the title of saint. 42:04 That is a perversion of the word saint. 42:07 It is, it does violence to the meaning in scripture 42:10 but then we are practical. 42:14 We have practical holiness. That's our second stage. 42:17 As we mature in Christ, we put holiness into practice. 42:21 That's right. 42:23 Paul wrote to the Thessalonians. 42:25 Thessalonians 1:47. 42:26 He says, 42:27 "God did not call us to uncleanness 42:29 but in holiness." 42:30 So since we were set apart for God's ideals, 42:33 we should cooperate with Him to achieve greater purity 42:38 by His gifts of grace. 42:39 And we all share that common calling. 42:43 I have just a few seconds left. So just let me say this. 42:46 The good news of the gospel is that Christ died for all. 42:51 He tasted death for all of us. 42:54 And because of Him when we are in Him, 42:59 we are made holy. 43:01 We're set apart by Jesus, 43:05 by God and we are called saints. 43:09 We are beloved of God and received the grace of God. 43:12 One quick quote. 43:13 The Sabbath school quarter said 43:15 that some folks don't avail themselves of that 43:17 which was offer doesn't take away 43:19 from the wonder of the gift any more than someone 43:22 who goes on a hunger strike in a marketplace, 43:24 takes away 43:26 the wonderful bounties found there." 43:28 I Thought that was a great quote. 43:30 That is a great quote. Praise the Lord. 43:31 I love that, Shelley. 43:33 We are called and you can say each one of us. 43:36 Not just the Church of Rome but each one of us as believers 43:38 in the Lord Jesus Christ. 43:40 Christians beloved of God called saints. 43:45 I like that. 43:46 I never knew that before are called saints. 43:48 That's beautiful. 43:49 Shelley had the saints in Rome 43:51 and I have the believers in Rome. 43:53 And we'll look at a different scripture there. 43:55 You mentioned, Pastor John, 43:57 when we started that this book was written probably AD 58. 44:02 Paul was in the church, 44:04 he was in Corinth 44:07 and he was at the end of his third missionary journey 44:11 on his way to bring the offering of money 44:14 for the saints at Jerusalem and then in Jerusalem, 44:17 of course, Mollie, you talked about 44:18 how he got arrested and then eventually 44:20 made his way to Rome. 44:23 Rome at that time had a population 44:24 of probably one million people. 44:27 That's a lot of people. 44:28 I looked up, we're in 2017, so 2016, 44:33 the City of Dallas had 1.3 million people. 44:35 City of San Jose California one... 44:39 So comparing that you think Rome was big. 44:44 And as you mentioned, Shelley, 44:45 the center of commerce and industry 44:47 and the center of the world then was really Rome. 44:52 Of the population of one million, 44:54 they estimate 44:56 there was probably 40 to 50,000 Jewish residents. 45:00 So of the one million, 45:01 40 to 50 thousand of them were Jewish residents. 45:04 And what we're looking at first 45:06 before we look at our text Romans 15:14. 45:09 We want to look at how the gospel, 45:11 how the message of Jesus was brought to the Christians 45:16 there in Rome, was brought to them in Rome? 45:18 So let's look at Acts. Acts 2. 45:20 Now, there's a couple of theories 45:22 on how the gospel was brought to them in Rome. 45:25 We know that Paul was not the first one 45:27 to bring the message there to the believers in Rome, 45:30 to the Jews there in Rome 45:32 but in Acts 2, we have the day of Pentecost, 45:38 the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 45:40 Acts 1, they were in one accord 45:42 and one place they prayed 120 days, 45:45 came into unity as brothers and sisters. 45:48 And then Acts 2:1, when the day was Pentecost had fully come, 45:53 they were in one accord in one place. 45:55 And then verse 5 talks about in Jerusalem 46:00 there were Jews devout men from every nation under heaven 46:03 and when the sound occurred, 46:05 meaning the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, 46:07 the multitude came together and were confused 46:09 because they heard 46:11 everyone speak in his own language, 46:13 and then there follows a list of the different languages, 46:18 list of the different people groups 46:19 who were there. 46:21 I won't even attempt to read this entire list 46:24 because it's a little difficult for me to say 46:26 but in verse 10, 46:27 it says, "Phyrgia and Pamphylia, 46:30 Egypt and the parts of Libya are joining Cyrene, 46:33 visitors from Rome both Jews and proselytes." 46:37 That's the point we wanted to get, 46:39 that there were visitors from Rome, 46:41 Jews who were there 46:43 when Peter and the other apostles preached 46:46 that powerful sermon. 46:47 They were there that I believe they accepted Christ. 46:49 Amen. 46:50 Jesus as the Messiah 46:52 and they took that gospel back to Rome. 46:56 There's also another theory that may be converts 46:59 at the time of the persecution as stoning the Stephen 47:01 and then the persecution became very strong 47:04 for the Christians in Jerusalem 47:05 and the Bible says that they were scattered 47:08 and possibly some of the Jews at that time 47:10 when they were scattered they went to Rome 47:12 and took the gospel then, 47:13 but however the gospel went, the gospel went to Rome. 47:17 And Sister White says, 47:19 this is the lesson had this quote, 47:21 not withstanding the opposition, 47:23 20 years after the crucifixion of Christ. 47:25 So this would be the early 50s, 47:27 there was a live earnest church in Rome, 47:30 the church was strong and zealous 47:32 and the Lord worked for it. 47:35 So Paul is writing to this church in Rome. 47:38 And let's look at his description 47:41 of the believers in Rome. 47:42 We're going to Romans 15:14. 47:47 Romans 15:14. 47:49 And this is powerful and I wish 47:52 that this could be said about myself, 47:55 in my own walk with God that it could be said 47:57 about our own church. 47:59 Romans 15:14. 48:02 Paul says now, "I myself am confident, 48:05 concerning you my brethren 48:07 that you also are full of goodness, 48:10 filled with all knowledge and also to enable, 48:14 also to admonish one another." 48:17 So there's three different things 48:18 I want to look at in this verse. 48:19 Paul says, number one they're full of goodness. 48:22 Number two filled with all knowledge. 48:25 Number three able to admonish one another. 48:29 If you look in the Greek full of goodness, 48:31 that's the same Greek word 48:32 used for the fruit of the spirit 48:33 in Galatians 5. 48:35 It's used four times 48:36 I think in the New Testament, agathosune, 48:40 and it means intrinsic goodness, 48:41 the goodness that comes from God, 48:44 but it has emphasis on the kindly side of goodness. 48:47 So I like that because he's saying not only 48:50 are the brethren at Rome the Christians, 48:54 not only are they full of goodness 48:56 but they are kind. 48:58 They are kind maybe in how they interact, 49:01 how they treat each other. 49:03 Number two. They are full of goodness. 49:05 Number two, filled with all knowledge. 49:10 That knowledge means in the Greek 49:12 to experientially know, 49:15 a working knowledge gleaned from firsthand 49:17 or personal experience. 49:20 So not only did they know about Jesus the Messiah, 49:23 but they had experienced we could say walking with Him, 49:27 they had experienced 49:29 what it's like to know Him themselves. 49:34 So not only were they good and kind, 49:36 they had an experiential knowledge 49:39 of the things of God, 49:41 not just as we would say today, a head knowledge. 49:43 Okay, I know the doctrine, 49:45 I know different things but an experiential knowledge, 49:48 it made at the 18 inches from the head down to the heart 49:51 and they had actually experienced 49:53 walking with Jesus. 49:54 Number three... 49:55 That's probably what made them good and kind. 49:57 It probably is. Absolutely. 49:58 Great observation. 50:00 Number three, able also to admonish one another. 50:04 To admonish means to admonish exhort 50:06 and especially appeals to the mind, 50:09 supplying doctrinal and spiritual substance. 50:12 So here we get to the doctrine, the purity of the doctrine. 50:16 So I believe the church members there were good and kind, 50:18 they had an experiential knowledge 50:20 of the things of God. 50:22 And they could admonish and exhort other people 50:24 especially regarding doctrine, 50:26 especially regarding spiritual things. 50:29 And what if that could be said of us? 50:30 Amen. 50:32 That our church, that our lives 50:34 that we exemplified the traits of Jesus, 50:37 that we had an experiential knowledge 50:39 in the things of God and that not only 50:42 that we preserve doctrinal purity. 50:44 It's not enough just to have doctrinal purity, 50:46 we need to have a working knowledge of God, 50:48 and it's not enough to have a working knowledge 50:50 and throw out the doctrine, we need a combination of both. 50:55 So how do we achieve this? 50:56 I want to look at three scriptures, 50:57 first is John 15:1-5. 51:01 One of my favorite passages in the Book of John, 15:1-5. 51:07 The first thing that we do 51:09 is to have an abiding connection 51:10 with the vine, that's Jesus Christ. 51:13 "I am the true vine, 51:15 and my father is the vine dresser, 51:17 every branch in me that does not bear fruit, 51:19 he takes away and every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, 51:23 that it may bear more fruit. 51:25 Now you are already clean because of the word 51:27 which I have spoken to you, abide in me and I in you, 51:31 as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, 51:34 unless it abides in the vine, 51:36 neither can you unless you abide in me, 51:39 I am the vine, you are the branches, 51:41 he who abides in me and I in Him bears much fruit, 51:45 for without me you can do nothing." 51:48 We talked about the goodness and the kindness, 51:50 that is the fruit of the spirit. 51:51 And we know the fruit of the spirit is not multiple, 51:53 it's one because 51:54 when the Holy Spirit comes in and abides, 51:56 he gives us all of the fruit of the spirit. 51:59 So in order to have 52:01 that we have to be vitally connected 52:03 to the Lord Jesus Christ. 52:05 We have... 52:06 He is the vine and I, the Holy Spirit, 52:09 the sap flowing through and we have to be connected 52:11 in order to remain alive. 52:13 Number two, we need to practice what we preach, 52:16 not just know it but to practice it. 52:19 I want to look at Ephesians 5, I think we have time for this. 52:22 Ephesians 5:1-2. 52:27 Ephesians 5:1-2, 52:31 "Therefore be imitators of God as dear children 52:35 and walk in love, live love, 52:39 behave love, act out love, 52:42 as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us 52:46 an offering and a sacrifice to God 52:48 for a sweet smelling aroma, 52:49 we can only do that 52:50 as we are connected to Jesus Christ divine." 52:53 And number three, 52:54 God calls us to study His word as never before. 52:57 I think I believe in a special way 52:59 we are living in the end of time, 53:02 and God calls us to know the Word of God, 53:05 to experience the Word of God, to live out the Word of God. 53:09 Turn with me to 2 Timothy, last scripture. 53:12 2 Timothy 2:15. 53:18 Paul is writing to Timothy, 53:19 "That from childhood 53:21 you have known the holy scriptures 53:22 which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith 53:25 which is in Christ Jesus." 53:27 And then it goes all scripture is given, 53:30 all scripture as God bring given by inspiration of God 53:34 is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, 53:36 instruction and righteousness that the man of God 53:39 may be perfect or complete thoroughly furnished 53:43 or equipped for every good work. 53:44 God calls us to study the Word of God 53:47 and by that we are changed. 53:48 Amen. Wow! 53:50 We flew through that with some good bit of time left 53:53 which would give us each an opportunity 53:54 to just to reiterate what we talked about. 53:57 We began with the Apostle Paul's letter 53:59 and I would summarize 54:01 that by saying there is no wrong time 54:02 for the right message. 54:04 Can we agree on that? 54:05 Amen. Amen. 54:07 And then Pastor CA dealt 54:08 with Paul's desire to visit Rome 54:09 and I like the point 54:11 that you really spend a lot of time, 54:12 there is no better time to support the gospel 54:16 then when God blesses you 54:18 with means to support the gospel. 54:19 Paul needed help, if he didn't get the help, 54:21 the gospel couldn't be supported. 54:23 And then, Mollie, 54:24 I like that you talk about the adversity of Christianity 54:26 which always ends up in you being 54:28 where God always knew you were going to be anyway. 54:30 That's right. 54:32 No matter what you go through, 54:33 you'll end up where God always knew 54:34 that you were going to be. 54:36 And, Shelley, you hit a point that I learned, 54:39 and I've been rejoicing ever since 54:40 and my devotions with Oswald Chambers 54:42 in reading Ellen White's writings. 54:44 He asked the question, 54:45 if you are not a saint then why not? 54:47 We should not go around saying, 54:48 we're all just sinners saved by grace. 54:51 No, if you are not a saint, why not? 54:53 And so, I would like to summarize, Shelley, 54:55 by saying believers are saints in Christ. 54:57 Amen. 54:59 And then Jill, the question 55:00 that you really handled so wonderfully, 55:02 what kind of saint are you? 55:04 Because the fruit of the spirit should make us saints 55:06 that always reflect the glory of Christ 55:08 through the fruit of the spirit. 55:10 So let me give each of you an opportunity and, Jill, 55:13 just go ahead and reiterate 55:14 if you had a last word to share with our panel 55:17 or those watching the program, what would you say? 55:20 I would say number one, get in the Word of God. 55:21 That's right. 55:23 The Word of God is life transforming, 55:24 the Word of God changes us. 55:25 I am so excited about 55:27 the study of Romans because it... 55:29 To me, it's Paul's treaties on justification by faith, 55:32 Galatians as well. 55:34 And for this quarter to follow justification 55:36 by faith in Galatians. 55:38 And not only that, 55:39 we see sanctification by faith in the Book of Romans as well. 55:42 So I am excited about this study. 55:44 Pastor CA? 55:46 You know, I'm thinking 55:47 I won't reiterate, I will iterate. 55:49 I think God plants people and churches, 55:52 this letter to the Book of Roman, 55:54 to the Romans written about same time 55:56 as Matthew and Mark. 55:57 So the church in Rome got established really early. 56:00 So God chose to put this ends in there in this pagan city 56:04 for a purpose and that was to support 56:06 the work going across, going around. 56:08 And God does that, 56:10 He erects beacons and from that lighthouse, 56:13 beams of light shine around the world, 56:14 and Rome was strategically placed 56:17 and the gospel was put there very early, 56:19 so that it could be this beacon in the midst of paganism 56:22 to do a great work for Him. 56:23 That's right. Mollie? 56:25 Well, Paul stresses the importance of knowing 56:27 who you are in Christ. 56:28 You've got transformed out of the kingdom of darkness, 56:30 where are you now? 56:31 The kingdom of God to your son, you are a sinner. 56:35 You got saved by grace, now what are you? 56:37 You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. 56:40 You confessed your sins, 56:41 He was faithful and just to forgive you of your sins 56:44 and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness, 56:46 what does that make you? Righteous. 56:48 Amen. Shelley? 56:49 The Book of Romans presents Jesus Christ to me in a way 56:53 that I did not know before 56:54 because I understood justification by faith 56:58 but not sanctification by faith. 57:00 The Book of Romans also we will see brings 57:03 in the work of the Holy Spirit in a way 57:05 that cannot be misunderstood. 57:07 So if we only had the Book of Romans, 57:10 we could understand God's full plan of salvation. 57:12 That's right. 57:13 Now I like the way to summarize this, 57:15 Paul speaking about the gospel to the Romans, 57:17 he says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of the Christ, 57:20 for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone 57:23 who believes, 57:24 for the Jews first and also for the Greeks." 57:26 Join us next time 57:28 when we go now to the controversy revealed 57:30 in the Book of Romans. 57:31 God bless you until we see you again. |
Revised 2024-07-02