Expounds on the book of Romans, dividing it into doctrinal, dispensational, and practical sections, with a focus on the doctrinal aspects concerning salvation. It emphasizes that true joy, peace, and hope are found in believing the gospel, which offers justification for sinners through God's grace and the redemption in Christ. The message details how believers are not only saved from the penalty of sin but are also delivered from its power through identification with Christ's death and resurrection, looking forward to a future redemption of the body and complete freedom from sin's presence.
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Beware with me, the mighty way we go. Thank you, and you may be seated. Now our brother, John Graham. Thank you, Brother John. John, we turn in our Bible to the book of Romans chapter fifteen. The book of Romans, we do a little roaming in Romans. by the help of the Lord. Chapter fifteen, I would like to read, beginning at verse thirteen, and just read that one verse. Now the book of Romans, may I say, before we read the verse, can be divided and understood if you take the divisions carefully, from chapters one through eight, then chapters nine, ten, and eleven, and then from chapter twelve to the end of the book.
There is a three-fold division, a main division, these three main divisions in the book. The first eight chapters are doctrinal what we should believe. The second section, called Dispensational, relates to the present situation of Israel during the Gospel Age, chapters nine, ten, and eleven. and we can call them, and they are dispensational in their character. Chapters, beginning in chapter twelve and onwards to the end, you've got the practical application of the Book of Romans.
And that is, and those are the main divisions of the whole book. The doctrinal, and then the dispensational, and then the practical. But let me read what we have in chapter fifteen and verse thirteen. What I believe to be the application of the book to the hearts of the people to whom the apostle wrote long ago. Here are the words that we find in writing. Now the God of hope filled you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost.
May I again read the words and particularly apply them in their application to the truth that is found in the epistle, and particularly, as we will see, that portion which is called doctrinal. For if you plead note very carefully, the word believing is emphasized. We read the words again. now the God of hope filled you with all joy and peace in believing that he may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost.
Now may I raise the question, what does the apostle mean and what to what does he refer? What we should believe in believing God would have us abound in joy and in peace as well as in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. Let me repeat that application again before we look at the study. God would have us abounding in joy and in peace and in hope through believing. And let us ask the question, believing what?
May I reemphasize the importance of knowing what you believe, as well as knowing whom you believe, I'm sure of that. The words of Paul in Second Timothy chapter three in verse sixteen, All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and it's profitable, first for doctrines. for reproof, second, for correction, third, and for instruction in right living or righteousness, fourth. You cannot have right living, you cannot be corrected, you cannot be convicted until you hear the doctrine.
It is important to know that doctrine or that The word can be translated, the teaching, the teaching. And Paul is emphasizing in this epistle of the Romans the importance of believing the teaching or the doctrine of the gospel. You'll find at the beginning of the epistle, Paul calls it the gospel of God, the good news of salvation. And from chapters one through chapter eight, you have your doctrinal teaching of this biblical. Let me repeat again with emphasis.
You will never have joy, peace, and hope unless you believe the gospel. The good news of salvation. And by the Holy Ghost, convicted and converted, and regenerated by believing that precious message. Now what should we believe? The doctrinal section of the book of Romans I would just like to cover very briefly, and it has to be done briefly in the limited time. But that's the most important part of the epistle we must begin with.
To know the teachings. of God's gospel and the good news of his salvation. Let me divide those chapters for you, please. From chapter one, and I hope you'll remember it, and we should see something about it as we look in the book, from chapter one through chapter five, you've got one of the most precious, you've got the most precious truth that God will bring to a sinner. The justification of a sinner. Can I repeat it? From chapter one through chapter five, you'll have the justification of a sinner.
I wonder if there's any sinners here. Well, I'm sure the place is filled with those that are here. I haven't found any other kind of people on the earth have you. But if the first message of that gospel is the message whereby a sinner can be justified, and the justification of a sinner is declared. How he or she can be delivered from the condemnation of their sins. Now let me repeat, before I go further, the meaning of that word justification. The best illustration, think of the opposite.
It is the opposite to say condemnation. condemnation. Look with me in chapter three quickly of this epistle of Romans. I hope you have your Bible. Go with me to chapter three, please. And this is the portion we must indeed emphasize when the beloved apostle writes regarding a sinner being justified. Let me begin reading, if I may, verse nineteen. The consummation of God's summer revives a spirit of all who are in the world. Now we know that what thinks soever the Lord says, It says to them who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become what?
Guilty. Before who? God. Let me ask the question. Have you seen yourself a guilty sinner? Not before your wife or your husband or your parents or your brothers and your sister or any other person. before God. For the message of the gospel is given to sinners and for sinners. But here is the declaration, the condemnation. All the world is guilty before God.
I wish people knew it. Who know not the Savior? Guilty? Guilty. Let me read on. And please note as you go on in verse twenty. Therefore by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified. What? Can I not keep the law? Will I not be accepted by God if I keep the law? No! For this is what we read. By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight.
And please know what the law is for. As you read the end of the verse. For by the law is the knowledge of sin. Take the Ten Commandments. Very plainly. Thou shalt, thou shalt not, and so on. That's God's standard of righteousness upon the earth that he expects. And as you find in verse twenty-three, all that comes short, for all that sin comes short of the glory of God. So by the law, please let me say this, if you want to follow the law, I want you to know something, it'll show you what a big sinner you are.
It'll show you you're a sinner. But please remember our theme. How can a sinner be justified? How can a sinner be lifted from his and her conduct? The law says we're condemned. The law says we're guilty. All the world. But here's the message of the gospel saying God is able to justify and to clear from every charge of sin. the sinner who believes. Remember, I'll take, we began in chapter fifteen. In believing. In believing. In believing.
That though I am a sinner, God is willing and able to clear me of all my sins under charge. Believe it? You better, you'll never have any joy if you don't. You'll never have any peace if you don't. You'll never have any hope. But thank God he's able to justify. But let's read on in our chapter please. I want you to go with me. We'll go down through verse twenty six. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested. Take it in clearly.
God is absolutely righteous. in doing what he declares he can now do for the sinner and to do it without the law without the law without the law don't tell God you'll try to keep the law you can't you never did you never will you failed we've all failed but read on and please know it go and say being witness by the law and the prophets even the old testament law and the prophets point to the fact now god is able in the gospel righteously to justify your sin but let's read on and note in verse twenty two even the righteousness of god what what the righteousness of god The righteous.
Would you ever call God a sinner? Oh, you know you couldn't. And incidentally, may I add, don't you ever say the Lord Jesus could have sinned either? Very God as well as very man. And you have the statement, even the righteousness of God. God is able to bring the poor sinner, covered, saturated, drenched with guilt of sin, and make that one righteous, like him?
Absolutely. You better believe it, or you never have any joy, or you never have any peace, or you never have any hope. But let's read on notes. Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ. And note, note unto all the people God is offering it. The righteousness of God which is by the faith of Jesus Christ unto all. Can I say this? I don't, I'm not saying it, God's saying it. He says, I've got this for every man, woman, boy and girl. Don't tell me you may not be one of the elect.
It all depends who you vote for. As one dear old fellow said, the election, all he found in the election meant God's got to vote, the devil's got to vote, and I've got to vote. You better get on the right side voting too. But it's the righteousness of God. Offer unto all. But no, not everybody has it. It's only upon, read the verse, please, it's only upon, now here's what you note, upon all them that believe. Have you believed it?
Have you believed that gospel? You take the gospel of John, for instance. Let me, by way of illustration, let me quote John three sixteen, you know it well, for God so loved the world that whosoever believeth in him, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish for that everlasting life. And go through the whole gospel, and you'll find the emphasis. Believe, believe it, believing, about a hundred times. And let me say again, if a man or woman, boy and girl, never believes the gospel, they never will be saved. It's unto them all, but it's only upon all then that believe.
For there is no difference, for all has sinned and come short of the glory of God. Oh, my beloved, may I say, I don't care who the sinner is, who the man or the woman, boy and girl might be. God has provided in the gospel through his beloved son, Whom he gave to die on Calvary for our sins. The righteousness that is characterized by his own. To cover that. If they believe. It's upon all them that believe.
Now let me say this. If you've never believed the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, it's not on you. that role of righteousness, quoting, if I may, from Second Corinthians five twenty-one, God has made him, Christ, sin, for us, he who knew no sin, that we might be made, the righteousness of God in him. For the moment I believe the Lord Jesus died for my sin, as a sinner, And accept him as my Savior. Put my faith in his sacrifice.
God closed me with the righteousness of God in Christ. Have you got that, Rome? Please know. Let's go further down chapter though. And if you know how he does it and why he does it, please notice you go to verse twenty-four. and he'll tell you how much it'll cost you. Being justified, cleared of all your sins, how much will you pay for it? Nothing, freely. And the source of it is this, by his grace. And that means you do not deserve it.
But it's given to you, it's offered to you, by his grace. And the reason he can offer it to you is this, is through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Redemption that is in Christ. We sang that lovely old hymn. What a joy to sing that hymn. I will sing of my Redeemer. And his wondrous love to me. On the cruel cross he suffered. And there on that cross paid the penalty for my sin. So may I point out to you, the first thing in the doctrine of this book of Romans is this.
God wants to save the sinner from the penalty of his and her sin. And if you don't know what the penalty is, let me tell you bluntly, it's hell. Eternal hell. And yet God wants to save the sinner. From the penalty he or she deserves. From the penalty of their sins. And he can do it. But he can only do it by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. My beloved, have you ever thought of the fact?
The death of the Lord Jesus on the cross. is the work that saves your soul. Christ died for our sins according to the Scripture, and he was buried, and then he rose again the third day according to the Scripture. There's God's redemption through his beloved Son. Let me quote Ephesians one seven. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sin according to the riches of his grace. And the first thing in the book of Romans that sinner has to find is redemption through the blood of Christ and be justified.
Let's read on through verse twenty-six, though. Going further, in verse twenty-five we read regarding that redemption in Christ, whom God is set forth to be a propitiation, meaning the need, the mercy-seeded one, through faith, and notice, Through faith in his blood. Through faith in his blood. Oh, the joy of knowing, as we remember the Blessed Lord Jesus at the Lord's Supper, the shedding of his precious blood cleansed us from all sins. And what joy to recognize the cleansing of that blood took all our sins away.
before a holy God. And the Apostle writes that God gave him to be appropriate, meaning to meet my need as a sinner in mercy, and God to be propitiated, to God to be satisfied with what the Lord Jesus did. He paid the penalty. You ever seen the old hymn? I'll show you how. Jesus paid in what? All. All to him I owe, many years ago in this city, some Mormon missionaries arguing as they always enjoyed arguing when we had gospel meetings in a sense.
And accusing me of not believing in works. I said, I don't believe in works for salvation, but after salvation. But I made the emphasis. For that night I had been preaching upon the cross. Why was I preaching about the work of Christ upon the cross? And the answer was given to me. Oh, he had to do something we couldn't do. I said, wait a minute. As long as I live, I'm going to preach. Jesus paid it all. He said, you don't believe in words. I said, I do, but not for salvation. Amen.
He said, I answered. I said, we're saved by grace through faith. And that none of yourselves is the gift of God. And I quoted him from God's word. And you know what he said? I don't believe it. I said, I know you don't. Lonely. My daughter, please let me say lovingly. It's a sad fact that many people are being led to hell because they're not getting through doctrine. Faith in his blood. Oh, beloved, see this. And now know it, if you go to the middle of the verse, verse twenty-five, to declare that God is right.
To declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God. And know verse twenty-six in it in its height, to realize the consummation of it, to declare, I say, at this time, His righteousness, that He might be just. He's gone wrong when He forgives a sinner? Never. He's gone wrong when He forgives a sinner because He trusts the precious blood of Jesus. Never. He's just. He's got to do it. Oh, may I say it lovingly, I know I was burdened with my sins and convicted when I came to the Savior.
But when I confess my sinfulness and pleaded by faith, I believe Jesus died for my sin. God has to forgive me. Amen. He couldn't do anything else, but he wouldn't have been just. Just, just. Oh, my beloved. It's the just and the holy God who forgives. And as you have it here, that he might be just and the justifier of him that does what? Believers in Jesus. Have you believed? You can't have. It's the purpose of the whole book and of the gospel.
In believing, you'll have joy. You'll have peace. your last hope and a bounty. Well, let's go to chapter six. The second part of the doctrinal section of these chapters begins in chapter six, goes through into chapter eight. The first part of believing is the justification of the sinner. The second part is the deliverance of the saint. Look in chapter six with me. Verse one, if you please. We might connect it with verse twenty-five of the preceding chapter, the end. At sin hath reign unto death, even so might grace reign, through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
And the apostle magnifies by the Spirit the grace of God that has brought salvation. But now in verse one of chapter six, what shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin? Many we who have believed know that great may abound. God forbid. How shall we that are dead? Did you notice something? Dead to sin. Live any longer therein. Oh, my beloved, what a joy to realize. The Apostle Paul made. Now look, please, this is what the Apostle Paul in substance is bringing up.
Though he's preached and taught, and written that we are justified only by faith in the blood of Christ somebody will say then when I'm justified I can live it any way I want no said the apostle God forbid may I say frankly there are people and preachers even that will certainly define the truth of the gospel that we're saved by grace through faith I've already mentioned one as you know and you can realize Some will say, then, if I'm saved by grace through faith, after I'm saved, I can live any way I want. No! Now you're a saint, now you're a believer, you need to be delivered from not the penalty of sin, the power of sin.
And chapter six, that means chapter seven, and into chapter eight, You've got the Lord dealing with the power of sin in a believer's life. Can I say lovingly? And I believe I'm telling the truth. I must confess it, for I'm just as human as you are. That when saved, the motions of sin are still in the human body. I met a dear old man that told me after he asked him if he was saved. He said he'd been saved for forty years. I looked at him and said, my brother, I said, you've been saved a lot longer than I.
He said, way back over fifty-some odd years ago. But in the next breath, he said to me, I've got something else. I said, what's that? He said, I've had eradication from sin, all sin taken out of my heart. And the strangest thing before I could answer, he said, I wish you prayed for me. I thought, I said, you better stop praying for me. I don't have that. No. And I found out in the neighborhood very shortly afterwards that that man, he did not have seen eradicated out of his heart because of some unjust deed that he had done. Even that he professed to be saved. Look, let me say it plainly quickly.
even after you're saved you're still in this body Paul calls this body a body of sin the flesh and I think what Paul summarizes as you follow these chapters through six seven and eight in chapter seven where he says I know that it's in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing and may I say bluntly and plainly and just simply Paul in chapter six and seven particularly, and into chapter eight, he touches upon that night. And let me say it, when you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you have two natures.
You have a new life, divine, the life of Christ, the life of God. You still have the old Adam life, the Adamic life. And I think some of you may be like the little Chinese boy when somebody asked him about how he felt after he was a Christian, been saved. He said, you know, he said, I finally got two dogs in me. He said, one is a white one and the other is a black one. And they were growling all the time at each other. And what he meant, what he was speaking of, there was a struggle in his life between the power of sin by the natural man.
and the life of God. And somebody said, well, when the dogs fight, who wins? He said, the one that usually says, take them to. But the thought is this, listen. Paul speaks of it. This is a struggle. There's a struggle. The power of sin, even in a believer's life. Can God help him? Let's go to our six chapters, please. Let me please know with you. Verse three. Know ye not that so many of us that were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death.
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death. Then like us Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father. Even so we also should walk in newness of life. Let me go down if I may in verse five and read on. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection, knowing this that our old man was crucified, and it should be in the past tense, our old man was crucified with him. That the body of sin might be destroyed, better would be the word annulled.
rendered up powerless that henceforth we should not serve sin for he that is dead is freed from sin now if he be dead with Christ we believe that we shall also live with him and verse nine get the confirmation knowing that Christ being raped from the dead dieth no more death hath no more dominion over him for in that he died he died under sin once But in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Now note the application. Likewise, reckon. Here's the one who has been justified. Here's the man and the woman who said, I believe in the Lord Jesus.
But I have the consciousness. The power of sin is still present. And here's what the apostle says. Reckon. And you can only do that by faith. Reckon ye also yourself to be dead. Indeed, unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Well, let me put it this way. When sin comes along and the devil turns, tell him you're dead. I think of what happened when one man was baptized on one occasion.
He had some habits he knew he should get rid of it. And one of them was the habit of smoking. And you know when he was baptized after the baptism and they entered the tank? The baptismal tank? Some of the Christians were surprised to find the man's pipe at the bottom of the tank. You know what he'd done? He'd buried his bad habits. He'd put them in the grave. He'd buried them. In fact, that's what God did when Christ died on the cross. And your sins and mine, he put them all on Christ. And Christ bore them. And we were crucified. Note the fact. We are crucified with him.
Go to these words. Verse six. Knowing this. Our old man is crucified. Or was crucified with him. For me I say this. God not only put your sins on Christ but he put you on the cross too. He put you and me on the cross. We died with him. Because to jump, judicially you're dead. That you might walk in newness of life. And to sin, you should be dead. And overcome sin. By the fact you have a new life.
And you can read on through the chapter. And even in the chapter seven and in the chapter eight. And you'll find that God clearly says. There'll be deliverance for the saints from the power of sin. Go with me to chapter eight quickly, please. Chapter eight. Let me look in chapter eight with you, beginning to read, if I may, verse eighteen. We come to the section that is the consummation of the doctrinal part of Romans. And in that doctrinal part of Romans, God tells me that he has not only saved me from the penalty of my sins, he not only is able to deliver me from the power of indwelling sins, but someday he's going to take me completely away from the presence of sin.
You know, I believe I'd like to be living someplace where there's no sin. How do you feel about that? Have you got that hope? Now the God of hope will fill you with all peace and joy in what? Believing. You believe that the Lord Jesus died on the cross to justify you before God by his redeeming death. You believe that by the fact that you were crucified within judicially in Christ, God sees you as having died within and given you a life. to walk in newness of life and overcome sin.
Someday, if I'll take you away from the present, let me read beginning of verse eighteen, for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us, for the earnest expectation of the creature, and this is undoubtedly the animal creation, the literal creation, waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. May I but briefly say the manifestation of the sons of God is when the Lord Jesus Christ comes back with his face in glory. For the creature, that is the animal creation, was made subject to vanity not willingly, but by reason of him who has subjected the same hope, because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
And may I add, all the groans of creation, whether they're animal, vegetable, mineral, and I want to tell you the whole creation groans. It was the result of man's sin that caused the groans of creation. But when the Lord Jesus comes back in the glory of his kingdom, with all of its children. They'll be delivered too. But now we are in verse twenty-two. We know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also which have the first fruits of the Spirit.
Even we ourselves groan within ourselves. Now please, don't tell me you've got nothing to groan about. I was listening to somebody tell me about someone who was really groaning in pain. this morning. And that's what I believe. You can find a lot of folks who are doing a lot of groaning. And a lot of Christians that know what it is to groan like that. I hope you can groan without grumbling. But anyway, do all the groaning you wish. But then the Apostle said, Though creation groaned, we that have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves. Waiting for what? The adoption. What's that? The redemption of our what?
Body. Look at me! I'm not all saved yet. I've still got this old body. I'd like to get rid of it. And someday I will. Philippians three, twenty and twenty-one says, Our citizenship is in heaven. From whence we look for the Savior to come. Who will change this vile body? and fashion it like unto his own glorious body. My beloved, can I say it again? My salvation includes a new body. Boy, do I need it.
I didn't tell other people today I need a skin graft already, which I'll probably never get. But is the truth? Is the truth? Is it the gospel? Justification? of a sinner for giving all his and her sins. Not only that, delivered from the penalty of sin, but from the power of sin in my life as a Christian. Please let me emphasize that. I can't go into details. Signed up the permit. But there's too many Christians and not enjoying deliverance from the power of sin.
Read Romans six, seven, and eight. And see how God delivers from the power of sin, our identification with Christ and his death, burial, resurrection. Reckon yourself to be dead towards sin. In Ephesians chapter two, we're told before we were saved we were dead in sin. After we're saved, we have to be dead to sin. God helps us to do that. But here's the consummation of the doctrine. Jesus is coming. and he's going to give me a new body. I'm not all saying, oh, I can sing it as well with my soul, but I can't sing it as well with my body always.
Can you? I know you'd like to. Well, thank God when the Lord Jesus comes, he'll be the redemption of my body. Now that's the doctrine of reflection of Romans. And as you reach to the end of Romans chapter eight, You find that nothing can separate you when you believe it. From the love of God who is in Christ Jesus your Lord. And what joy to realize. That's the complete meaning of redemption. Now go to chapter fifteen again before we close. Let's look at that verse. Let's take it to our heart. The application. Now the God of hope.
fill you with all joy and peace in believing. Believing what? I've been justified by the precious blood of Jesus through faith. I am being kept by his power, the new life in me through my risen Savior over the power of sin. And someday it may be today. He'll come and change this body. Beloved now are we the sons of God. It does not yet appear what we shall be. But we know when him does appear, we shall be like him.
For we shall see him as he is. And that will be the fulfillment and the final confirmation of my salvation. That's the darkness. Now let me ask again. Do you believe it? The God of hope filled you with all joy and peace. in believing. And please know that ye may abound in hope. Well, beloved, I'll tell you one thing. I may not always be abounding in hope, but I sure can always keep abounding in hope. And that blessed hope, the Lord Jesus is coming again to set me out of his feet. You know, I think one of the best places to leave would be the city of Florence today and go and meet the Lord in the air.
and be forever with the Lord. Now that's the gospel. Have you believed it? Please let me say it completely. The justification of a sinner delivered from the penalty of sin. The justification of a saint. The deliverance of a saint. Delivered from the power of sin. And Then when the Lord Jesus comes back, completely delivered from the princesses. Amen. Mine, mine, mine, mine. The longer I live in this world, the less I feel like living, longer in it.
And praise God, I don't have to. Peace coming soon. But may I say again, that's the gospel. It's what the world needs. Have you believed that? By the Holy Spirit, You can be filled with joy. You can be filled with peace. You can be filled with hope. By doing this, believe me. Thy faith. For we are saved by grace through faith. That number of yourselves is the gift of God. Now the work that any man should boast. And from beginning to the end, salvation is by grace.
Not by work. And God is charged. When He does that for one who will believe in Jesus, shall we pray? Oh, blessed Father, how great, how complete and perfect is thy salvation? Saving many sinners from the penalty of sin, saving many saints from the power of sin, saving and delivering ultimately every saint from the very presence of sin. Lord Jesus, this is a wonderful salvation.