The Book of Romans: "the gospel of God" (1:1-7)

Is the promise of the gospel of God.

Okay, so verse one ends this way, separated unto the gospel of God.

And what we found last week was that God not only delivers us from something, or from things, or from our sin, giving us forgiveness and new life, but he also calls us unto something.

And here in the last part of verse one we find that Paul was separated unto the gospel of God.

The gospel of God.

And in verse two it says, which he had promised, that word being key here, which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures.

And so that's where I want to begin.

I want to talk to you about the promise of the gospel according to verse two.

Separated unto the gospel of God.

And then a parenthetical.

Here in verse 2, a description, which he had promised aforetime by his prophets in the Holy Scriptures.

And as a Bible-believing church, we know that the Scriptures have a lot to say to us, and we have a lot to learn from the Scriptures.

If you remember Jesus' words in John chapter 5 and verse 39 through 40, he said, Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life.

John 5 · chapter mention

And they are they, which testify of me, and ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

What we see is that the gospel of God, this phrase that Paul was called unto, was promised beforehand.

And that's what you should see in your old testament, the gospel is being preached.

But what we also have to see is that though Paul, as given a unique apostleship, is called unto this gospel of God, while it was in the Old Testament, it is yet concealed.

And so God comes along and actually reveals or gives revelation to Paul so that he can see things that he couldn't otherwise see, that the prophets couldn't see before him.

And so, moreover, the gospel of God is not entirely a new message, disconnected from the Scripture, and yet, though it is not a new message altogether, it is new because what Paul ends up doing, as we've learned in the last four weeks, is brings new insight into what God had concealed in the Old Testament, and even with the prophets and the other saints and the disciples themselves.

And so, to kind of give illustration of this as we move into our conversation, I want to give you an illustration relating to you walking into a museum.

Okay, so just think for a moment, you're on a trip with your family, and you decide to go to a new city and you walk into this museum.

It's an art museum, and you enter in and you look around, you're admiring all the beautiful artwork, maybe it's sculptures, other pieces, tapestries, whatever it might be, and you're thinking, wow, this place is wonderful.

You're learning from the artwork, you're learning history, and then all of a sudden you hear some like giant breaker in the back room like flip.

And all of a sudden, the the darkened ceiling that was shadowed because of the vault ends up illuminating because of some lights that were in a kind of a channel around the upper rim.

And all of a sudden, in the ceiling of this space, is illuminated some hand-painted artwork.

And you begin to see what was always there, but now can be understood because the lights were turned on.

That's what's happening with the Apostle Paul as he comes on the scene.

He gets to go back into the Old Testament and God flips the breaker, and Paul's able to now see everything that was tucked back in those old texts.

Okay, the second illustration, just I'm going to continue with five illustrations.

You got it?

Just so that you can kind of think what God did in bringing the Apostle Paul on the scene and flipping that breaker.

Think about buying that new gadget, that new tool, that piece of technology, maybe it's a cell phone, that car.

Only to later discover that there's some special, amazing feature that was right in front of you the whole time that you ignored because you're ignorant of it.

Anybody ever been in that situation?

Maybe it was a car, you bought a new car, and you're like driving it for like two years, and then all of a sudden you're like, oh, there's butt warmers in this thing?

You flip that thing, you're like, wow, what in the world?

That's what that thing does?

And so forth.

Maybe you can think of the technology that you have.

I mean, I I know that on my cell phone I'm always discovering like little nuanced features that were there that I haven't been taking advantage of.

That's what Paul's doing.

He's letting us know about all those features of the gospel that were a four times spoken of by the scriptures.

You guys remember National Treasure with Nicolas Cage in 2004?

Maybe some of you.

Remember the bifocals?

Right?

He's looking at the the uh, I think the back of the Declaration of Independence and he's flipping through.

The declaration's there, right?

He's holding it in his hands, they're reading it, they're trying to decipher it, they're figuring it out, but all of a sudden he puts on these these new glasses.

And the very thing that he's holding all of a sudden has a depth to it that was not understood initially.

That's what's happening in the reading of the New Testament against the Old.

When Jesus Christ comes on the scene, he's a minister to the circumcision, the Jews, and he has a message of the kingdom to the Jews.

And then after the Jews reject Jesus, God turns to the Gentiles through the Apostle Paul, and Paul is given a revelation of the mystery of Christ in Christ in us, and it's like the church gets to put on those bifocals and start flipping through the lenses and discovering everything that the prophets couldn't see.

And we're going to look at some verses so that you just don't think I'm crazy about this.

The prophets couldn't see things that were right in front of them.

The disciples couldn't, even those that walked closely with Jesus.

It was kept from their eyes.

But maybe in the end of this movie, you also remember the scene.

You go to this next photo.

You remember where they they go through that big like tunnel of things and they're discovering.

Hey, who's seen this movie?

Just so that I have some a little context.

Okay, if it's if it's a foreign movie to you, sorry, the illustration breaks down very quickly, it doesn't make any sense.

But by the end of the movie, they end up walking into this treasure room that they uh found after like, you know, hours of and days of being chased by, you know, the enemies or whatever.

And they're amazed.

In the prior photo, right?

They're they're amazed by this little gold room that they're in.

And they're looking around, and then all of a sudden, Nicholas Cage puts his torch in this like stream of black powder, and the f it catches fire and it begins to illuminate the room that's actually there.

And this little room that maybe had, you know, a couple million dollars worth of artifacts in it now becomes like a multi-billion dollar, hundredfold treasure.

That's what you have in the Word of God.

The Old Testament, you walked into this little room and you were amazed.

The prophets were amazed at the God they were able to learn of and understand.

And then you come into the New Testament, and it's like the Apostle Paul is shoving a torch into a line of black powder, and all of a sudden the Old Testament does this.

It's the flower in springtime.

That's beautiful even before it's bloomed, and then all of a sudden it opens up and you're like, wow, it's the caterpillar.

It's the caterpillar who's I mean, the Old Testament's a caterpillar.

I just want you to hold that thought, alright?

Every time you read the Old Testament, just think caterpillar.

New Testament, butterfly.

Beautiful butterfly.

It's like marrying someone and loving them deeply, only to discover years down the road that there is some sweet and precious quality that you didn't realize was there the whole time.

It's not that it didn't exist, it's that you just didn't have the eyes to see it.

It's always there.

And it's strange.

We can do that with the Bible.

I think there are things in the New Testament that we read all the time that when we get to heaven and the light switch is turned on, we're gonna go, wow.

God's word was so deep, and we missed it.

But in the meantime, we get to explore the treasure, and we get to dig and we get to learn of the Lord.

Okay, so by will uh illustration, by way of illustration, this is what we have in the Old Testament.

Truth once concealed, now revealed by the Spirit of God in us.

It's an amazing thing.

Moreover, the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ was prophesied in the Scripture.

Let me just give you a few examples.

The death of Christ in the Old Testament.

This can be found in type, right, with the first Adam as cross-reference to 1 Corinthians 15, and the last Adam, Christ.

The first Adam has his rib removed from him so that woman can be made, just as Jesus Christ had a sword in his side at Calvary, so that the church could be made, so that he could have a bride.

Or the coats of skins that God makes for them in the lamb that's slain for them in Genesis chapter 3 after their sin.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

The death of Christ as typified in that lamb.

It is Joseph in the pit.

It is the whole sacrificial system of the Levitical uh the book of Leviticus.

It is the Passover, you know, the blood of the lamb struck on the doorpost at the crown and at the two sides, a picture of the cross.

It is Psalm 22, the suffering servant.

It is Isaiah 53, maybe that's the most familiar to us.

The prophets of old, foretelling of the suffering of Christ, his death.

But also his burial and resurrection.

You remember the story of Jonah, a man swallowed by a whale, and then resurrected through the vomit of the whale, on to dry land three days later.

Right?

All tucked away in the Old Testament, but unable to be seen by those who were reading.

Jesus said to that unward generation in the Gospels, there shall be no sign given unto you but that of Jonah the prophet.

There came a place in Israel's history where the only thing that God was going to allow them to see was the resurrection of Christ, so that they could respond to it.

So Jesus stops his miraculous ministry and says, just wait.

Once I resurrect, you'll have a final opportunity or interlude of mercy.

This is the first few chapters of the book of Acts, for you to respond to the fact that you've killed me and that I'm your Messiah.

The Bible is full of pictures and picture types and prophecies.

It's a really amazing book in this way, and it should be what excites us to study the Bible.

Like you just go pretty much anywhere in the Bible, you just go, wow, God is God is awesome.

Over and over again, God shows us those types.

But look at what Paul says, okay?

1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verses 1 through 4.

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

I want you to see that the gospel that Paul is preaching is about the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

And so you think, what's new about that?

That sounds pretty that sounds pretty familiar.

It doesn't sound new, but he is bringing light to it.

He is helping it to be understood.

First Corinthians chapter 15, starting in verse 1, it says, Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel, which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand, but which also ye are saved.

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

I'm sorry, by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

For I have delivered unto you first of all that which I received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.

There it is.

The Scriptures foretold of told of his death.

Verse 4, and was buried, and that he rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures.

This is what the Scriptures would declare would be true of Christ.

The gospel, though, was not only prophesied, it was misunderstood when it was.

Luke 18 and verse 31 through 34 it says, Then he took unto him the twelve and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished.

Right?

Sounds familiar what we've been talking about.

Verse 32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated and spitted on.

Verse 33, and they shall scourge him, and put him to death, and on the third day he shall rise again.

You think how more explicit could the Lord Jesus be with his disciples?

And this is what thirty-four says.

And they understood none of these things.

And this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

Okay, so I I have a little thought experiment and some questions for really one question, but some questions for you to think about.

The first is this when the disciples were sent out to preach two by two in the gospels, did they preach the same gospel message that we do?

Like when you're reading through the gospels and Jesus says, I'm sending you out as apostles two by two to preach the gospel of the kingdom, are they preaching the same message?

They're not.

Okay, they're not.

So, if so, if they are preaching the same message, how were they preach preaching a message that they didn't understand?

That they knew nothing about.

If Paul's point in 1 Corinthians 15 is the gospel that saves you, that I received and that you received if you believed it not in vain, is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, but the disciples knew none of these things, how would it be that they were preaching the message they didn't understand anything about?

Doesn't make any sense.

If you say, no, they weren't preaching the same message, the question is, what were they preaching then?

And in short, it's the gospel of the kingdom.

And we'll look at a few messages here or a few points here in a moment.

And I'll encourage you to do your own study.

They were preaching a different message because while they had the scriptures that contained the gospel of grace, they were blind to be able to see or understand it.

Now, I will make a point in passing that it is only by the blood of Jesus that anyone's ever going to be saved.

And we're going to continue to nuance some of the things that we ought to make sure we believe in this dispensation.

But in the time that Jesus Christ was walking with his disciples, they couldn't be preaching the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

Why?

Because Jesus Christ had not died yet or risen again.

It's kind of hard to have redemption with the blood of Jesus if the blood of Jesus has not been shed.

And so we wait for that event.

And as the book of Hebrews says, there is no remission of sins without the death of the testator.

Okay, so by necessity that has to happen, and then God brings in a New Testament.

Okay, so again the question you ought to be thinking is what is the message of the kingdom then?

Because that phrase does come up in the Bible.

The promise of the gospel of God can be understood as we first study and search the scriptures and seek to separate with specificity the gospel with the other ones that are noted.

I just want to make a point here that we've made about other words as we've come through our identity in Christ series.

I want you to know that the word gospel, quote gospel, does not always refer to the exact same message in every single passage, just as the word baptism didn't.

Do you remember that?

Sometimes when the word baptism is used, it's used in reference to water baptism, right?

John the Baptist, saying, Behold, the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world.

Israel, come into the Jordan River and be baptized for remission of sins.

But then you have other times he's saying that the Lord will baptize by fire.

Okay, so there's a use of the word baptism, one by water, one by fire.

And then Paul comes along and says, You need to be baptized in the Spirit.

There's another use of the word baptism.

So when you hear these words, you think, does this only mean water?

No.

The word baptism is more general.

It just means to be immersed into something, to be brought into something.

So, in the New Testament, we're brought into, baptized into Christ and into his death.

Romans chapter 6.

Romans 6 · chapter mention

The same thing could be said about the word save or saved.

Every time you come across the word saved in your Bible, it doesn't always relate to justification unto eternal life and forgiveness of sins.

Sometimes the word is describing like saved from the Antichrist, killing you in the tribulation.

Jew, who's running and fleeing from him.

Right?

So the word saved, we have to be careful to not overuse a word or make it have too narrow of a definition and then apply it in every single context.

And so we study the word of God to make sure we apply the word of God rightly.

A word like justified is the same.

James chapter 2 uses the word justified to describe something different than Romans chapter 4 when Paul's using it.

James 2 · chapter mention Romans 4 · chapter mention

If you don't understand that, you're going to be confused.

Okay.

Moreover, here's the word gospel.

It's a broad term.

And the word, as many of you know, literally translates to good news.

That's it.

Good news.

And as you move through the Bible, there are a lot of times that there are messages being declared that are good news.

And it isn't until the death of Christ and his resurrection that we're able to declare the good news that Christ has died and resurrected.

I know that seems so simple, but it'll help resolve all the times you come to a passage, like, say, in the Gospels, where it says, you need to trot on serpents and cast out demons as you preach the gospel to every creature.

That's the end of Mark's gospel.

It's like, why doesn't that apply to me?

Well, because that has a particular context to the Jew.

Now, do we preach the gospel to every creature?

We absolutely do.

Is the gospel for the world?

It absolutely is.

Is it the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ?

It is.

That's what Paul received, that's what he gave, that's what we believe not in vain.

Okay, but let me just show you a few.

Oh, you already probably have them on the screen.

Have you been looking at them?

Alright, the gospel of the kingdom.

This is what John the Baptist is preaching.

As you open up the gospels, right?

He is ultimately declaring this.

The king is here.

He's on earth.

Receive your king, repent, and receive your Messiah.

That's the message of John.

And it is good news.

The king is here to bring righteousness.

But it's also get in line, isn't it?

Believe him.

He's shown up.

Now they didn't receive him because they thought he was going to come in glory and in the clouds, but he came in a crib.

Swaddled.

Not the ruling king that they thought.

Well, he was ruling, just not in the way they understood or wanted.

You can see the references here.

The everlasting gospel.

Found in Revelation 14 and verses 6 and 7, preached by angels.

That's a little different than our message, isn't it?

I wish angels were preaching the gospel of the grace of God today.

That'd help us out.

They could move faster, they could preach with more authority, I feel.

I mean, that'd be awesome.

You know what?

You know what's even better?

God inviting us into the process of being able to be used of Him.

The everlasting gospel, one that has a future millennial context.

The gospel of national peace and salvation for Israel.

A message of good tidings to Zion, according to Isaiah 52 in verse 7.

The gospel of release of captivity, Jeremiah 28, 9 in verse 10.

And on and on, okay?

This is the only point I'm making to you.

The word gospel is a broad term.

In the Pauline letters or in the New Testament, we understand that the gospel means one thing.

In this age, in this time, it means one thing.

Jesus Christ became our sin who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Believe upon the gift, the free gift of everlasting life in the person of Christ, a gift of grace, and receive everlasting life, apart from your works, apart from your striving, all a gift of God.

That is the only good news today.

There is no other good news.

And that's why Paul writes to the churches of Galatia, and he says in Galatians chapter one and verses six through seven, I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel.

Which is not another.

These things are making sense because they are important to understand your Christian life.

Again, Paul isn't teaching that there are not other gospel messages.

He is just saying that the one that the Galatians have applied has removed them and removed them from God.

Removed them from the goodness of the grace of God toward them.

Okay, so what is the good news of this time, as I already explained, and as you can see on the screen, it is that all men and women everywhere, no matter their race or heritage, can have their sin forgiven if they by faith alone accept the gift of God's grace by the blood of Jesus Christ.

That is the only good message of today.

If you go back to the law, you go back to works, you forfeit grace.

And that is not good news, because you are immediately under condemnation if you do that.

And that's what we're going to learn in the book of Romans is that the righteousness of God is revealed apart from the law in the person of Jesus.

And that while Jesus lived a righteous life that condemns us, he also offers to us the way of salvation by the gift of his grace.

So it's both, somehow wrapped up all in one.

Ephesians 2, 8 and 9 in verse uh I'm sorry, starting in verse 8, it says, For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.

And that is why the Apostle Paul refers to his gospel message as the gospel of the grace of God in Acts 20 in verse 24.

He says, But none of these things move me, neither count I like count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testify of the gospel of the grace of God.

It is the message that he was separated unto, and that God revealed to him out of the scriptures.

Out of the scriptures.

Look at Romans chapter 16 and verse 25.

Romans 16 · chapter mention

Okay?

I know a lot of Bible this morning, but hopefully the five illustrations that I gave you up front can just keep your mind occupied for a little bit if you're distracted.

God now, with the light turned on, revealing to us what the scriptures told us about.

But we couldn't see, or what the prophets couldn't see, things that couldn't be declared until they were illuminated and given to us.

Romans chapter 16 and verse 25.

Romans 16 · chapter mention

Look, it says, Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began.

But now, verse 26 is made manifest.

And by the scriptures, I'm sorry, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandments of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.

Okay, so this is what you have to wrestle with as a Christian.

And I'm not going to unpack this this morning, but you have to realize that the Bible tells you that at one point in time things were kept a secret, and now they are manifest.

And so when?

When did that happen?

Right?

When did God turn on the lights or flip the breaker so that we could finally see what the scriptures declared of him?

Paul's message, therefore, has to be understood in light of God's revealed word.

Romans chapter 3 and verse 21, it says the same phrase we found in Romans 16, but now.

Romans 3 · chapter mention

Okay, but now.

Things were different in the past, but now the righteousness of God is uh without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets.

Or that is being testified by the law and prophets.

The law and prophets make known what was true of the righteousness of God apart from the law.

The law did an effective job at condemning people, didn't it?

You look at the Ten Commandments, we all fall short.

We've used God's name in vain.

You think I've never cursed.

Well, I'm sure that you've carried the name Christian and lived in sin occasionally, or fallen occasionally.

Well, you just carried the name of God in vain.

Christ-like, Christian.

And that means you're condemned before his law.

The law was effective at showing us that we were unrighteous.

But God says there's another way to see that we're unrighteous, and that is the law and prophets manifesting to us the righteousness of Christ.

But praise be to God, Jesus Christ is also the one who has manifested his grace toward us.

Look at Luke 24.

This is a beautiful text right after the resurrection of Christ.

This is what Jesus Christ does with those two men walking, talking about things concerning the few events that have transpired in the last days in Israel.

Luke 24, starting in 26, says, Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to have entered into his glory?

And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

This is what Jesus is doing with these two men.

How is Jesus revealing himself?

He's not straight up telling them, Hey, I'm Jesus, look at me, I'm resurrected.

See the holes in my hand?

All of that's concealed.

He's saying, You want to know me?

Let me preach myself and the things concerning me.

From Genesis all the way through the Old Testament, you declare to be the Word of God.

Verse 44, look, he says, and he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled that are written in the law of Moses, and the prophets, and the Psalms concerning me.

Then Lord help us, this is what we need.

Verse 45.

Then opened he their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures.

This is wild.

He had been preaching to them and teaching them all things concerning himself, but and the teaching wasn't enough for them to understand.

Verse 45 says, Then he opened their understanding.

He taught them, and the teaching, that the information wasn't enough.

It was the Spirit of God, it was the power of Christ to be able to illuminate their understanding.

To flip the breaker, to open their understanding that they might understand the scriptures.

Verse 46, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day.

Now that's what he told his disciples before his resurrection, and they couldn't understand.

Why?

Because it was hidden from them.

It was a secret.

And here it is, God giving a person understanding of the gospel.

That's just verse two.

That's the top of verse two as we've looked at it this morning.

And as you can see, verse two in parentheses says this regarding the gospel of God, which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures.

Promise, the promise of the gospel of God.

Secondly, I want to talk to you not about the promises of the gospel of God, but the person of the gospel of God.

Look at verse 3 of Romans chapter 1.

Romans 1 · chapter mention

It says this, concerning his son.

This is the gospel of God, concerning his son, capital S, Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh.

And passing here, I just want to emphasize that Romans 1 3 reveals the Gospel's efficacy, or that is to say, the ability, the effectiveness of the Gospel's ability to establish that Jesus is not a created being, and that he was ever God, yet made a man.

I hope you followed there.

Look at verse 3 again.

Concerning his Son, capital S, Jesus Christ, our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh.

A Jehovah's Witness doesn't believe that Jesus Christ is very God.

And they'll say that because he was a created being.

Jesus was a created being born into this world.

How could God be created?

That means that he has somebody before him.

No?

Pay attention closely concerning the Son Jesus Christ, which was made according to the flesh.

When Jesus Christ was made, he was made a man, but before he was ever God.

And this is actually revealed to us in a very familiar text that I've probably shared with you.

But Isaiah chapter 9 and verse 6 tells us this for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.

Isaiah 9 · chapter mention

Now why does the Bible go to the extent or the effort to distinguish those ideas?

Well, because Jesus Christ is the eternal Son, who is ever one with the Father in his Godhead and triune nature with the Father and the Spirit.

Ever, and yet a child is born.

The Son is not born, the Son is ever with the Father and the Spirit.

Ever one God, and yet made of the seed of David according to the flesh.

So I just want you to hold here in Romans chapter 1 and verse 3.

Romans 1 · chapter mention

Do not let a Jehovah's Witness tell you that Jesus Christ was a created being.

He was only a created being according to the flesh, but he was ever the Son of God.

Capital S, Son Jesus Christ.

And so we find that not only here in verse 6, but then if you go on, and in Isaiah chapter 9 and verse 7, it sounds like Romans chapter 1 and verse 3, of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth, even forever, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah 9 · chapter mention Romans 1 · chapter mention

This is the child born, the Son, given, just as God the Father gave his Son, only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life, and that that son, beyond his first coming, will come again, and will set up a kingdom, and his kingdom will be after the throne of David, because he is made of the seed of David according to the flesh.

He's in the lineage, it's what gives him rights to be king of kings and lords, lord of lords.

Okay, so the person of the gospel, the promises of the gospel, the person of the gospel.

Thirdly, the power of the gospel in verse 4 of Romans chapter 1.

Romans 1 · chapter mention

The power of the gospel.

Because the reality is the gospel is powerless if Jesus Christ isn't God.

If it is just a man hanging on the cross, no big deal.

If it is God Himself hanging on a cross, the payment is so valuable that it can cover all sin.

You thought you you know if you thought to yourself, I've just sinned too bad.

God can't forgive me for this.

You're gonna have to reconcile who's hanging on a cross for you.

Because if it's the God of the universe, then I can't think that you would evaluate your sin bigger than God.

Even the sin of that has been paid for.

So not just the Son and the Seed according to the flesh, but the Savior of the world.

The Son of God with power according to the Spirit of Holy by the resurrection from the dead.

Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 14 tells us about the spirit of holiness that Christ was given.

Hebrews 9 · chapter mention

It says, How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Jesus Christ was risen from the grave by the Spirit of Christ, because he had the Spirit of Holiness.

He himself was without spot before God.

To the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

And so after Paul has established that Jesus Christ is the Son and God Himself, he changes this phrase, the gospel of God, to the Gospel of Christ.

The Gospel of Christ.

It is one unique splendor of the gospel, of the grace of God revealed through Paul, that we can find the power of God, the power of God.

It is a message of forgiveness to the Gentiles, apart from Israel, and in spite of Israel.

And I just want to make a point here, and I've shared it in the past, but this was not the case in your Old Testament.

While God loved the whole world, and while God deeply loved the Gentile nations, the only way that a Gentile was going to be in a right relationship with God in the Old Testament is if they came through Israel or by means of Israel.

Think about Ruth, a Moabitis woman, right?

Not an Israelite, but blessed beyond measure, because she ends up following Naomi back to Israel and being wedded to Boaz, right?

A Jewish kinsman and her redeemer.

And we find that all through the Old Testament.

God loves the Gentiles, but he is using Israel to be the conduit of blessing to the world.

But when the gospel of the grace of God comes on the scene, the offer of salvation is made to all freely, no matter where they're from or what nation they're a part of.

So apart from Israel and in spite of Israel, completely open to all that would believe, whosoever will.

And I just want to tell you that that is a radical message.

That is a radical message for the Jewish mind, but also for the Gentile.

And I just don't think we appreciate it enough.

The whole Bible is really written to the Jewish audience.

And until you get Christ risen from the dead and God's like, anyone who wants to take freely of this river can drink.

So we've talked about the promise of the gospel of God and the person of the gospel of God, the power of the gospel of God, fourthly here, the proclamation of the gospel of God.

Romans chapter one in verses five through seven it says, By whom we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to faith among all nations, for his name among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ, to all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints.

Called to be saints.

It is one thing to be called of Jesus Christ and beloved of God, but it is a different thing to be called to be saints.

And so the calling of God in your life is to believe the gospel and accept the gift of Christ and receive forgiveness of sin, but then to continue walking with Christ and to be sanctified unto I'll say saint sainthood.

To continue to grow in relationship with Christ, and so that you can be conformed into his image.

Here, fifthly, the peace of the gospel of God.

Okay, so we've talked about a lot the promises of the gospel of God, the person, the power, the proclamation unto all nations.

The scope is to every everyone who believes, but also the beloved of God, called to be saints.

But here, fifthly, the peace of the gospel of God.

And this is verse 7.

That is to say, the serenity that the gospel brings.

The second part says, Grace to you in peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace is God's undeserved gift and favor towards us.

Peace is the result of us receiving it.

You say, I don't have peace in life.

My question to you this morning is Have you received the gift of the grace of Christ?

Because if you have, your life should be so flooded with the peace of God as a result of getting unmeasurable grace and sufficient grace day to day.

And so peace is just the result of being close to God and receiving the grace that He freely gives.

Moreover, the gospel provides listen, peace with God.

Romans chapter 5 and verse 1 says, Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God.

Romans 5 · chapter mention

Hear closely, the Bible does not say you have peace.

If you are justified by faith, you have peace.

Or the peace of God.

The text says you have peace with God.

There's a lot of people in the world who say they have peace, don't they?

I mean, think about the hippie smoking what the the people who say, I don't I don't care that God exists.

I I'm living a good life.

People that are wealthy, who are distracted.

People have good families.

Like genuine genuinely good people.

They're like, I'm good.

I don't need your gospel message.

I've got peace.

You can say, I got the peace of God.

Maybe you have some people who actually say, you know, I know God.

Thanks, thanks, but no thanks.

But they're never saved.

They believe some religious system.

They believe their works and their self-righteousness.

They don't have the peace of God.

They have a false peace that's deceiving them.

And so herein, the truth lies in Romans chapter 5 and verse 1.

Romans 5 · chapter mention

Peace with God.

Because the reality is we are born children of wrath, and without the gospel, we can have a false sense of peace, but we still may be enemies of the cross.

First Thessalonians chapter 1 and verse 10.

1 Thessalonians 1 · chapter mention

It says, and to wait for his Son from heaven, who he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

So you need to be saved.

Saved from what?

Saved from sin.

Yeah, that's a nice way to say it.

Saved from the wrath of God, against wickedness and ungodliness before him.

So the necessity for all of us is to come humbly before the cross and receive salvation so that we can have peace with God.

Not a false piece of religion, not a false piece of enough good efforts before God, not a false piece of who knows what you're taking, not a false piece of going out in nature.

Isn't there a lot of people in the world who think, man, my life is crazy and hectic?

I need to go find some respite.

I'm just going to go on a long hike in Colorado.

I'm going to take a plane up to Wyoming and get away and find some peace by a quiet stream.

That's great.

But it might not be peace with God.

And in the depths of your soul, you know I'm not right with God.

My sin has separated me from a holy God.

I don't know if I've received that gift.

And I just want to encourage you this morning to do that.

And we'll end on this.

Romans chapter 5 and verses 8 through 11 it says, But God commendeth his love toward us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5 · chapter mention

If you've never received the gospel, this is the message.

And that the wrath of God abides against your life.

But just know you don't have to do anything to escape that.

Because God commended his love toward you on the cross when you were a sinner.

Not when you were good enough, not when you were trying hard enough, not when you cleaned up your life enough, but because he loved you, Jesus died for us.

Verse 9, much more than being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Verse 10, for if we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son.

Much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

And not only so, listen, it's not just peace.

This is what the gospel gets you.

But we also joy in God through the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Peace with God is wonderful, y'all.

It is great.

Receive the gospel.

If you've never done that, receive the gift today.

And in your heart believe that Jesus Christ became your sin, and he died for you, and he rose to new life that you might have it.

And man, just be at peace and know that you're at peace with God because of the blood that covers your life.

But you know what you also get as a benefit of the gospel?

Joy in the Holy Ghost.

Do you have joy this morning?

That's a good measuring stick to know whether or not you're right with God, because the promise of the gospel is that you get perfect peace with God and you get joy in the Holy Ghost.

Let's go to the Lord in prayer this morning as we close and we consider this phrase, the gospel of God.

Promised to us, as we just saw, our perfect peace, but that's because of the person of Christ and who's hanging there on the cross, giving us power to have freedom from death.

And now it is the message I proclaimed to you all this morning a message of hope, a message of deliverance, and a message of joy.