Okay. Shalom, everyone. You know, it is so precious to me, whether it is in our classes, our morning classes or evening classes on Fridays, or whether it is the Shabbat meeting, the Saturday meeting, it is always precious, I tell you, to be able to say, to take a moment to devote this 15 minutes, half an hour, one hour, to be occupied with the Lord, to encourage our hearts. We are all coming from so many problems that we have in our lives and challenges. And it is so healthy for any one of us as a believer in the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. It is so healthy for us to take the time and to give the Lord His portion so He can feed us and He can meet our need and encourage us as believers so we can continue and walk with Him here in this world.

And today is also very special. We might not be a lot of us here today, but it is so good to be able to be in the presence of the Lord. I am reminded of the passage in the Gospel of Luke where the two who went away to Emmaus and the Lord met them on the way and they said, they spoke within themselves and they said, did not our hearts burn within us while we walk with Him on the way? Why He opened unto us the Scriptures. And I think brothers and sisters, this is what we want as well to enjoy as we are gathering ourselves together around the Lord.

What I would like to do today, I would like us to begin to take a study, and I know it may take a long time, but a study that has to do with the teaching of the Apostle Paul from the Book of Romans. Now, we are already studying the Book of Romans in our Bible classes, and we have already arrived to Romans chapter 12, and today I would like to give a little bit of introduction so we can have it before us about the teaching of the Book of Romans. So, I would like you please to turn with me to Romans chapter 1, and I want us to kind of listen from the Word of God about the importance of the Book of Romans, the lessons that we can learn from the Book of Romans.

We might not be able to cover all the Book of Romans, but I am going to seek by the grace of God to take a passage after a passage for a while and see how far we can learn and how much we can spend on the Book of Romans from our Shabbat meetings together. So, turn to Romans chapter 1, and let's read the first seven verses together this afternoon. Romans 1 and verses 1 to 7. We read, Paul, a servant of Jesus the Messiah, called to be an apostle separated unto the gospel of God, which he had promised before by his prophets in the Holy Scriptures, He said, "Concerning his Son, Yeshua HaMashiach, our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead, by whom we have received grace and apostleship for the obedience to the faith among all nations for his name, among whom are ye also the called of Jesus the Messiah, to all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints, grace to you, and peace from God our Father and our Lord, Yeshua HaMashiach." Now, I'm going to stop with this passage, the first seven verses of this book, and I want to make a little bit of introduction here to the Book of Romans.

I've enjoyed it so much lately because the Book of Romans is a book that was written by a man, a Jewish man, by the name of Shaul, his diaspora name is Paul, who had been a man that was so zealous for God, he was so zealous for the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that when he heard about 2,000 years ago that there were Hebrew, Jewish, Israelis, who have come to faith in this man by the name Yeshua, of Yeshua the Messiah, he was so zealous for God, he was so unhappy with the fact that they have acknowledged that Yeshua was the Messiah, that he sought to kill and to destroy those that believe on the Lord Jesus, the Messiah.

And you know what he did? One day, he was traveling to Damascus. He took a letter from the leaders of Israel in Jerusalem, and he took letters with him that he was going to the city of Damascus, and wherever there were those believers in Yeshua the Messiah, he was going to bring them to Jerusalem, and ultimately he sought to destroy those people, people who had faith that Jesus, the Lord Jesus is the Messiah. So what did he do? He took that letter with him, and he was traveling all the way from Jerusalem to Damascus. And as he was traveling along, dear brothers and sisters, something happened to him on the way to Damascus.

Something that happened to him transformed his life completely. He was a man who believed in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He was a man that sought to receive justification and righteousness on a basis of his own merit, on a basis of keeping the law. And on the way to Damascus, he had an experience. Something happened to him. And we read this in the book of Acts, in chapter 9. It says there, and I'm reading, Saul, Saul, Saul, yet breathing out threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, he went into the high priest, and a desire of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they be men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

And as he's journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven. And he fell to the earth, and he heard a voice calling unto him from heaven, Shaul, Shaul, why you are persecuting me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said to him, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling, and he was so astonished. And he says, Lord, what will you have me to do? What will you have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, You arise, and you go into the city, and it shall be told unto you what you must do.

And you remember, beloved brothers and sisters, the story. Shaul, Saul, who was in opposition to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, on the way to Damascus, had what you call the Damascus experience. God spoke to him, and the Lord Jesus spoke to this man, and Shaul, who was in the beginning persecuting the Hebrew believers, the Hebrew Christians, he find himself falling to the ground, and saying to the Lord, Lord, what will you have me to do? And you know what happened? The Apostle Paul, Shaul became an Apostle. His Hebrew name was Shaul, his diaspora name was Paul, it was the same person, and he got saved.

His sins were forgiven, he got justified, he got reconciled, he received the righteousness of God, through the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. And now, he became a vessel, to go to the nations of the world, to preach the message of the Gospel, concerning the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. And so here is that man, that tried to be justified, on a basis of works. He tried to receive salvation, on a basis of keeping the law. He tried to be right with God, upon his own merit, but never succeeded. Finally, through the works, that the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, had accomplished, he received forgiveness of sins. He received justification.

And now, beloved brothers and sisters, we find this very same man, this very same person, Paul, we find him now, going out to the world, to the world, to preach the Gospel. And here, in Romans chapter 1, as we have read, the Apostle, Paul, who is the very same man, Shaul, Romans chapter 1, verses 1 to 7, now we find him, writing to the believers at Rome, and telling the believers at Rome, about the reality, of justification, and righteousness, through the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. And so, we just read the first seven verses, but let me just give you some introduction, to this book, to the book of Romans.

First of all, the theme, of the book of Romans, is the righteousness of God. This is the theme of the book of Romans. What does that mean, the righteousness of God? God, it means that God, is now gave man, who is a sinner by nature, and by practice, God, now declare, the believer, in the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, righteous. that's what it means, the righteousness of God, is God, have imputed, or had given, or provided, righteousness, to people, such as you, and I. This is an amazing truth, to understand. You and I, who are sinners by nature, who are sinners by practice, God declare us, to be just, to be righteous.

This is what is the theme, of the book of Romans. And Paul, is so taken up by that, is so overwhelmed, by this truth, that he's saying, he's writing this letter, to the believer in Rome, because he wanted them, to get a hold of this truth, that God declare us, sinners, righteous, because of what, the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, have done. So the theme, of the book of Romans, is the righteousness, of God. Brothers and sisters, let me tell you something. If you, understand anything, about the work, that the Lord Jesus, have done, for you, for me, understand, one fundamental truth, is that God, now looks at us, he looks at me, he looks at you, he knows everything, about us, he knows, that we fell into sin, he knows, that there's no good, in the human race.

But, he said, listen, I declare you, just, I declare you, pure, I declare you, righteous, because, you have trusted, in my son, and in the work, that he had accomplished, for you, on the cross. That's, the beauty, of the book, of Romans, that teaches us, the righteousness, that God, provide, for us. The key verse, in the book of Romans, is, chapter 1, and verse 17. Let me read you, that verse, we didn't read it earlier, but still, the key verse, of the book of Romans, is found, in chapter 1, and verse 17. In the gospel, the righteousness, of God, revealed, from faith, to faith. As it is written, the just, shall live, by faith.

Here's the theme verse. The theme verse, of the book of Romans, is that, God's righteousness, is being revealed, for those, that believe, on the Lord, Jesus Christ. That's the beauty, of this book, and of this righteousness, righteousness of God. The key verse, is that, God provided, righteousness for us. When you sit, in your own home, and when you look, at yourself, whether you look, at yourself in the mirror, whether you look, at yourself in your mind, when you think, about yourself, and you say, Lord, Lord, how is it possible, that you declare, me righteous? How is it possible? And God is saying, it is only possible, because I, provided this for you.

You didn't work, for that. You didn't pay, for that. You didn't keep, the law for that. You didn't, did enough good works, for that. I am providing, the righteousness of God, for you. That, what God, is saying, as he is giving to us, through the Apostle Paul, the writing here, in this book. Now, thirdly, notice, the third thing, that we want to know, about the book of Romans, that the book of Romans, can be divided, into various sections. And of course, we only read, the first seven verses, of chapter one, today. But you know, that the book of Romans, is very easily divided, into various sections.

If you are writing things down, let me give you, three ways, in which we can divide, the book of Romans. Number one, in the division, of the book of Romans. Number one, we have, the fact, that the, doctrine, is chapter one, to chapter eight, is all, teaching, and doctrine. This is the doctrine, that's being taught, by the Apostle Paul, concerning, the righteousness, that God provided. Is, from chapter one, to chapter eight, you have doctrine, teaching, after teaching. So, the title, we can put, on chapter one, verse one, to the end of chapter eight, is, doctrine, teaching. Verses, one of chapter nine, to the end of, chapter eleven, we have, not only doctrine, but we have, a dispensational teaching.

There, he looks at Israel, and how God, is dealing with Israel, Israel's, past, Israel's, condition, present, and Israel's condition, that will occur, will be, in the future. Past, present, future. He is speaking, about Israel, in Romans nine, ten and eleven, how Israel, had been dealt with, in the past, and Israel's condition, in the present, and what's gonna happen, when Israel, in the future, is going to be restored. And so there, it's not so much, doctrine, but we have, the dispensational, dealing of God, with the nation, with the nation, of Israel. And of course, from chapter twelve, verse one, to the end, of chapter sixteen, we have, the third division, of the book of Roman, and there, it has to do, with the duty, and the responsibility, that believers, have, here in this world.

God saved us, he gave, us, his son, but he also, gave us duty, he gave us responsibility, when I, became a believer, you became a believer, it doesn't mean now, that we can live, our lives, in a way, that we please, we are to live, our lives, in a way, that is pleasing, to the Lord. And there are duties, there are responsibilities, that we have, in our lives, as believers. And so, this is one way, in which we can, divide, the book of Romans. We have, doctrine, chapter one to eight, we have, dispensational, chapter nine, ten and eleven, and we have, duty, chapter twelve, all the way, to chapter sixteen.

But let me give you, an easier way, to divide the book of Romans, which those of us, that are coming, to the Bible class, already have heard that, and this is, the five divisions, of the book of Romans, with the letter, S, began, with every, beginning, of a word. First of all, Romans, chapter one, to chapter three, and verse twenty, the theme there, is sin. All have sinned, and the question of sin, is mentioned there, again, and again, sin. Then, from chapter three, verse twenty-one, to chapter five, verse twenty-one, we have the second, theme, and that, is the salvation, the second S, the salvation, that God, had provided, for us, as individuals, here in this world.

Thirdly, Roman chapter six, to Roman chapter eight, to the end of Roman chapter eight, the third S, and that is, sanctification. We not only, have been, receiving salvation, but we also, need to be sanctified, sanctified, day after day, to be set apart, for the Lord. The Lord, want us to have, practical, sanctification, in our lives. It's not right, to be a believer, in the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, and not to seek, to live a life, that is sanctified, set apart, to Him. And that's what Romans, chapter six, to the end of chapter eight, it deal with the theme, of sanctification. And then we have, chapter nine, to the end of chapter eleven, and there we see the four S, and that is the sovereignty of God.

You know, God is sovereign. He chose Israel, we see Israel, pass election. He, today, have judgment, upon His people, Israel, in the blindness, that they are, and today we have, in chapter ten, that Israel as a nation, still haven't come to Him today. And then we have, Israel future, in Romans chapter eleven, where He is going to restore, the nation of Israel, and bring Israel back to Himself. God is sovereign. He is electing the nation. He has chosen the nation of Israel. So Romans chapter nine, to the end of chapter eleven, is the sovereignty of God, in relation to the people of Israel. Israel. And finally, the fifth S, in Romans chapter twelve, one, to the end of chapter sixteen, is the fifth S, which is service.

And here we have the necessity, to serve the Lord, to minister to the saints, to serve Him, in one way or another, whether it is in our own homes, or whether it is in the meetings, whether it is on the streets, whether it is in our jobs, in our school, wherever we are, there is the responsibility, to serve the Lord, Jesus the Messiah. This is our duty, and our responsibility, and our privilege, as believers, in the Lord, Jesus the Messiah. And so that's the division, that we can give to the book of Romans, very interesting division. Five S's, sin, salvation, sanctification, sovereignty, and service. Three D's, doctrine, dispensational, and duties.

Those are the divisions, that we have, in the book of Romans. Let me mention a couple more things, before we're going to go into the actual verses. The third point, that we want to mention about the book of Romans, that the letter, to the Roman believers, is the letter that Paul wrote, to a church that he never ever seen, and met. He wrote this letter to a church, that he did not start actually, did not found that church. Other churches, or local assemblies, in any other areas, he was used directly to found, to start this local assembly. Somehow, he was used, by the Lord, to start this assembly.

But when it's come to the Roman church, it was in the city of Rome, Paul did not have necessarily, he may have indirect, start of this assembly, but he did not have a direct impact, upon starting this assembly. He actually had not visited this church, until the end of the visit, when he finally got to Rome, the end of the book of Acts. Acts chapter 28, where finally, he met some of the believers, in the city of Rome. How did the city of Rome, had believers, and the church, started in the city of Rome? Well, you remember, in Acts chapter 2, where the Holy Spirit of God, came down, upon the believers in Jerusalem.

These believers, came from many, many cities, from around Asia, Asia Minor, and other places. people came to the city of Jerusalem, to celebrate the feast of Shavuot. And as they came, to celebrate the feast of Shavuot, the Spirit of God, formed the body of Messiah. And Peter was preaching the word, and he presented the gospel. Many got saved, and then they were scattered, all over the world. By the time that you read, the book of Acts chapter 8, the church from Jerusalem, because of persecution, was scattered. And Jewish believers, later on, preached the gospel, all over the world, including Asia Minor, even all the way to Rome.

And finally, you find out, that in Rome, it became like a center, where people are moving in, and moving out, moving in, and moving out. And the spread of the gospel, have happened also, in the city of Rome. People got saved, just like you and I. accepted the Messiah, became children of God, and they formed a local assembly, in the city of Rome. And Paul heard about them, and he's writing to them this letter, the letter to the Roman believers. Very interesting and important letter, that he's writing unto them. The letter, by the way, was written, about 56 A.D., before the Apostle Paul went to Jerusalem.

He actually wrote it from Corinth. Most Bible scholars believe, that he wrote it from Corinth, when he was at Corinth, and he had some time there. And he wrote this letter, to the believers at Rome, to build them up, to instruct them in their most holy faith, that they will grow spiritually, that they will mature, and become soldiers for the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. And so this is interesting, a very important letter, that the Apostle Paul was writing, to the believers at Rome. So this is just by way of introduction, dear brothers and sisters, as we are moving on now, into verse by verse, dealing with the book of Romans.

Now, when we read the first chapter, Paul does three things, when he writes this letter. Remember, he never met those people. He might know some of them, of the believers at Rome, but he actually never gone to Rome. So when he writes this letter, he's writing, and he's introducing himself, to the believers at Rome. Can you imagine, if you're going to write a letter, to some group of people, in another city here in Canada, you would want to introduce yourself. You want to say who you are. What is your credentials? Where did you come from? What are you doing? What is your occupation? Who you are.

You're going to write something, to the local assembly in Rome. Paul introduces himself. The first thing he does, in verses one to seven, and that's what we read today. He's telling the believers at Rome, who he is, the Apostle Paul. He's telling them, who he is, and what he's all about. And so he began to tell them a few things about himself. The first thing he's telling them, that he's a servant of Jesus the Messiah. Look at this. Paul, chapter one, verse one, a servant of Jesus the Messiah. I want to pause here for a moment. You know, if there's anything we can say about the Apostle Paul, that he was a real, true servant of the Lord Jesus the Messiah.

The word here for servant can be written bondman. He was a servant. He was a bondman for the Lord Jesus the Messiah. He was a bond slave for the Lord Jesus the Messiah. He was the one that he so devoted his life to the Lord. In every form and shape, he devoted himself to the Lord Yeshua the Messiah. Remember, once upon a time, just a few years before, he sought to destroy everyone that believed on the Lord Jesus the Messiah. But something happened in his life. He recognized that the Messiah, that Yeshua was truly the promised Messiah. He recognized that he was the one that died for him and gave him justification.

And he says, "Listen, I want to serve the Lord. I want to minister to him." And he called himself a servant of Jesus the Messiah. A servant. Do you know that in Rome at that time, in the Roman Empire I should say, there were about 60 million slaves. 60 million slaves. Paul called himself a slave. But not a slave for the Romans, but a slave for the Lord Jesus the Messiah. He was so taken up with him. He was so mad to have engaged his life with Yeshua and his work that he had done for him, that he said, "I want to serve the Lord Jesus. I want to be a servant of the Lord Jesus the Messiah." So he called himself a servant.

And it is interesting because he's writing to the Romans. The Romans in the city of Rome, they sought for power. There were the Caesars there. There were the emperors there. It was a city with power and authority. He doesn't say that he is a servant to the Romans. Or the slave to Rome. But he called himself a servant of the Lord Jesus the Messiah. Very precious, beloved brothers and sisters, as the apostle Paul, introducing himself to the believers at Rome. Notice the second thing that he says about himself in verse 1 also. Verse 1b. He said there that Paul, he's calling himself and he's called an apostle.

Look at this. Paul, a servant of Jesus the Messiah, called an apostle. Notice that the word here called an apostle, it says in italic called to be an apostle. But the word to be should really not be there. It's in italic. It's actually should be said, called an apostle separated unto the gospel of God. Now, you know what, brothers and sisters, the apostle, or I should say Shaul, Paul, he did not impose himself on the Lord. He did not choose to be a sent one to be an apostle. He was called by the Lord to be a servant, to be an apostle. And you know very well that in order that a person will be an apostle, one has to see the Lord after his resurrection.

Not everyone could be an apostle. There were only 12 apostles plus one. The 12 apostles we know that the Lord have chosen, plus the one that because of Judas, what happened with Judas and he was replaced by Mattathias. And then the apostle Paul, who have actually seen the glorified Messiah after his resurrection. And so he's saying here, I am not only a servant of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, but I'm also called an apostle separated unto the gospel of God. You see, when he was called on the way to Damascus, it was told to him through Ananias. You go your way for he is a chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and the kings and the children of Israel.

For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. You see, when he was called by the Lord, he was called by the Lord to be a sent one, a messenger to preach the message of the gospel. And what a messenger he was. You know how much suffering the Apostle Paul had to go through? You know how much rejection by men, rejection by his brethren, rejection by false brethren, rejection by the enemies, rejection on every corner. He had an experiences in his life that one cannot even measure. That's what the Apostle Paul had to suffer. But he was called for that ministry.

He was called by the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, to serve in that service, and to be an apostle, a sent one for the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. It says here in verse one also, that he was called, you notice that in verse one, he was called to be separated. You know, we don't like that word separation sometimes. But you know what? You and I are also called to be a separated people. I don't mean an isolated people, but a separated people. We are to separate ourselves unto the person of the Lord Jesus. We are to live a life that is pleasing to him, in a world that rejects him and despises him.

That is what our responsibility is to do. We are to be a separated people. That is what our Apostle Paul was. He was an apostle. He was called by the Lord to be a sent one, a messenger of the Lord. And he was called to be separated unto the Gospel of God. I want to highlight here that word, the Gospel of God, because you notice in the Bible, it is many times called the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. But here we have the title here, the Gospel of God. What does that mean, the Gospel of God? It is the glad tidings. It is the news that there is a way of redemption that was originated by God himself.

It is the Gospel of God. God, in past history, in his wisdom, in his own divine design, have provided for us a glad tidings, the good news. It was originated from God. Nobody, no man, no human being, no angel thought about this Gospel. It was originated by God, as it says here in verse 1 at the end. He was separated unto the Gospel that was originated by God himself. And so this statement here, the Gospel of God, is a very important word here. The Gospel that was originated by God. If you go down a little bit to verse 9, notice that in verse 9. In verse 9, it's called the Gospel of his Son.

It is the Gospel of God, verse 1. But it is the Gospel of his Son, verse 9. It is only possible to be available for men because of the Son of God. You know, this Gospel that you and I have entered into and accepted, the forgiveness of sins, justification, forgiveness, being brought into a relationship with God. It is a Gospel that was originated by God. But it was possible for us to receive it because of the Son of God, who made himself a man entered into this humanity. Now, if you jump a little bit further into the next verses, and you notice that it says in verse 16, another interesting statement about the Gospel.

In verse 16, he says, Paul says, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of the Messiah." You notice that? Verse 1, it is the Gospel of God. Verse 9, it is the Gospel of his Son. Verse 16, it is the Gospel of the Messiah. Well, what does that mean? It was originated by God. It was made possible through the Son. And it is the Gospel of the Anointed One because the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, became a man and died for us on the cross to pay the penalty for sin. It is the Gospel of the Anointed One, of the Messiah. And so it began with the Father, originated with God, through the Son, who became a man, but who also died for us on the cross.

Brothers and sisters, I hope you get a hold of this, as I am sharing with you these words from the Scriptures. I hope you get a hold of this Gospel. It is God, the One who thought about this. It is the Son who was willing to come and provide this for us. And He became the Messiah when He died for us on the cross. The Anointed of Jehovah, whom God was satisfied with His work on the cross. And so, those three things we learn here in verse 1. He was a servant of Jesus the Messiah. He was an apostle that was called by God. And He was separated unto the Gospel of God.

Actually, the theme word here is, well, beside what we have mentioned earlier, verses 17, the theme verse, but the theme word here is the word God. You will notice how many times, over 40 times, the word God is mentioned in this book. Because God is the originator. God thought this all about. God provided a way for salvation for sinful men. It is all from God, and it is all for the blessing of mankind. And so, verse 1 is the verse that we began with. Paul, a servant of Yeshua the Messiah, called an apostle, separated unto the Gospel of God. And so, we continue now in verse 2. And I want you to notice what we read in verse 2.

In verse 2, we find out that this Gospel did not begin, or the thought of this Gospel, did not begin only 2,000 years ago, only when the Lord Jesus came. The thought concerning the Gospel to be provided for mankind, that have already been in the mind of God long before the Lord Jesus entered into this world. It says in verse 2, that it had been promised before by His prophets in the Holy Scriptures. Now, to me, it is very important, this verse. Why this verse is so important? Because this truth that we are learning from the Word of God was already thought and promised long time ago to the nation of Israel through the prophets in the Scriptures, in the Word of God.

Now, those of us who are coming from a Jewish background know how difficult it is for us. Difficult it is for our families and our people. Who know how difficult it is for us to recognize that Jesus is the Messiah. And our own families and our own people are struggling through this. They are constantly have been struggling to accept that Yeshua is the Messiah. And it is so sad to see that they are not acknowledging that Jesus is the Messiah. But look what Paul is saying here. He is saying this was the truth of the Gospel was already promised by the prophets. It was the Hebrew prophets that already have been promised that one day the Messiah will come.

And it was written for us in the Scriptures. And you know, we are carrying with us both Old Testament and New Testament. But when the Apostle Paul was writing the book of Romans, they didn't have the New Testament. The canon of Scripture was not yet complete. The only Scriptures that he had, beloved brothers and sisters, is the Old Testament, the Tanakh, the Hebrew Scriptures. And so when he is writing such a statement where it says, which had been promised before by the prophets, it is immediately arising the eyes and the ears of the Jewish people. You mean that the promise of the Gospel was already promised to us in the Scriptures through the Hebrew prophets?

Yes, indeed. Yes, indeed. And I am just going to give you some verses that I want you to just look with me in the Old Testament Scriptures concerning the promises of God to bring to us the message of the Gospel, to bring for us justification and righteousness through the Messiah. And so maybe we are not going to look at everything, but the first verse in the Bible that actually promised the Messiah to come is in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15. And we all know this verse very well, that it speaks about the seed of the woman. It is speaking about when the Messiah will come into this world, He is going to enter into this world in a supernatural way.

He will not come into this world like you and I, that there is a relationship between a husband and wife, which brought about a child into this world. But the seed of the woman speaks to us of the fact that God is going in a supernatural way to provide a child through the virgin Miriam, and placed this child at seed in her womb without an intervention of any other man. That is a miracle. And here we find out, beloved brothers and sisters, in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15, the promise of the seed of the woman that we have already in the beginning of the Scripture. is there in chapter 3 and he said, "And the Lord God said unto the serpent, because thou hast done this," he said to him, verse 15, "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and the woman's seed.

It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Here is a promise in the Scriptures that there will be one day coming into this world a person that's going to provide righteousness, will enter into this world in a supernatural way, the Messiah, the Redeemer, the Savior of this world. Well, when he is going to come into this world, how he is going to enter into this world? Where is he going to come from? And there are many verses. Let me read all these verses. But let me read you one verse that is found in the prophet of Micah. Micah chapter 5 and verse 2. And you know that verse very well.

Brothers and sisters, we often read this verse and talk about this. It says, "Thou Bethlehem Ephrata, though thou be a little among the thousand of Judea, yet out of you shall come forth unto me he that is to be a ruler of Israel, or ruler in Israel, who is going forth, he hath been from of old, even from everlasting." You see, the prophet Micah not only gave us an instruction that the ruler will come, but even where he is going to come from, or what city he is going to come to or from. He is going to come out of the city of Bethlehem Ephrata in the land of Israel.

And so here, you remember, Romans chapter 1 and verse 2, the promise of the coming of the Gospel, the glad tidings, justification for men, had been already mentioned in the Old Testament Scriptures through the prophets. And I can tell you some more. We can read Isaiah chapter 7 and verse 14, and Isaiah chapter 53 and verse 6, and Jeremiah chapter 23, Jeremiah chapter 33. We can read Isaiah and Ezekiel and other passages in the Scriptures that promise to us about the coming of the Messiah. Let me read one more verse that the prophet had mentioned about the Gospel. Isaiah chapter 53, and I am going to read this verse as well right now. Chapter 53 and verse 6.

It says this, Verse 6, "All we like sheep of God astray, we have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord laid upon him the iniquities of us all." That's what Isaiah wrote about 750 years before the coming of the Messiah. That one day the Messiah will come, and that he will take the burden of sin upon himself. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have all turned each one to his own way, but the Lord laid upon him that one that will provide redemption the iniquities of us all." And so, beloved brothers and sisters, this is very important for us to understand, that the Gospel of God, originated in heaven by God himself, was already promised a long time ago through the prophets of Israel, as the Gospel is being preached.

And it is the promises that the people of Israel receive through the prophets, that we have it in the written Word of God, in the Scriptures. I ask you today, how can you be sure that you are saved? How can you be sure that your sins are forgiven? How can you be sure that God provided a way of escape? You can definitely say, on the basis of the written Word of God. I did not make it myself, I did not plan for that. God had promised it already a long time ago, through the prophets of Israel, and He had given us the writing in the Scriptures, in the Word of God.

And that is very comforting. That is very encouraging. And that's why when we study the Book of Romans, it is not for us who are not interested in studying the Bible. It's a real fundamental truth. There is meat, a doctrine here, that we must understand if we are to grow spiritually. Now let's move on to verses 3 and 4. In verses 3 and 4, look what this Gospel is about. We said that in verse 1, Paul saying that he is a servant, Paul saying that he is an apostle. In verses 2, we said that it was written in the Scriptures. In verses 3 and 4, we find out that Paul is saying that he is a preacher of this Gospel.

You remember, he is introducing himself to the Roman believers. He told them he is a servant. He told them now he is an apostle, but he is also telling them that he is a preacher of that Gospel. And so in verse 3 and 4, he is saying to them, concerning his Son, concerning his Son, Jesus the Messiah, our Lord, which was made of the seed of David, according to the flesh. But he declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. You notice now, Paul as a preacher, as one that is preaching the Gospel, he is now telling those brethren at Rome, he is telling them, listen, this Gospel is about Yeshua.

It is about the Son of God. It is about the person that came from heaven, the one that died for us on the cross. It is about Him. He is telling them two things about Him. Number one, that He is of the seed of David, verse 3. Number two, He is telling that He is the Son of God. He is presenting before them the two natures of the Messiah. You know, a lot of people have a problem with the humanity of Jesus, and other people have a problem with the divinity of Jesus. It is amazing. Some have a problem with the fact that Jesus, Yeshua is God, He is the Son of God.

Others have a problem that Jesus is a man, a descendant of David. You and I have to learn this truth, that He is both. He is the eternal Son of God, but He is also a man who is of the seed of David. And so He is telling us, in verse 3, concerning God's Son, Yeshua the Messiah our Lord, which was made, or which was brought out into this world, of the seed of David, according to the flesh. Do you know when the Lord Jesus, when the Messiah entered into this world, He had to come into this world in accordance with the promises of the Scripture.

And the Bible said, that when the Messiah is going to enter into this world, He is going to be number one of the seed of the woman, Genesis 3:15, but He is also going to come as a descendant of the King of Israel, David himself. And that is important, beloved brothers and sisters, because there are so many people, who enter into this world, who claim to be the Messiah, a Redeemer, but they never can prove, that they came into this world, as seed of David. Who were coming from the family of David, from the seed of David. Actually, the word for seed, can also be said as a sperm, that came from the sperm of David.

He is actually a descendant of David, Melech Israel. He came through the family of David. Let me show you a verse, if you please turn with me, to 2 Samuel, chapter 7. There, look what happened. God is promising to David, a seed that will come to reign over the nation of Israel. 2 Samuel, chapter 7. And I am reading, from verse 8. 2 Samuel 7, verse 8. Now therefore so, shall thou say unto my servant David. He is speaking to Nathan the prophet, and the prophet is going to tell David something. And God is saying to the prophet, you tell my servant David, verse 8. Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be a ruler over my people of Israel.

And I was with you, whithersoever you went. And I have cut off all your enemies, out of your sight. and made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in all the earth. Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them, that they may dwell in a place which is their own, and move no more. Whither shall the children of the wicked afflict them any more? And then in verse 11. And as since the time that I commended judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all your enemies, also the Lord tell you that he will make thee a house.

And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom, and he will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. And I will be his father, and he shall be my son. This is verse 14. You notice what God is saying to David before he died. David wanted to build a house for the Lord. The Lord says, I'm going to build a house for you. David wanted to build a house for the Lord. The Lord said to him, I'm going to bring a seed out of you into this world, who will rule over the nation of Israel.

And so Paul is saying to us, in Romans chapter 1 and verse 3, he says, this gospel of God, this gospel of God, the gospel of God is really, is the concerning Jesus, the Messiah, our Lord, who was made, who he came out of the seed of David, according to his flesh, according to his humanity. When he came into this world, he was the son of David. And we can read many times in the gospel, the blind man said to him, son of David, save me, son of David. They called him son of David, because he came into this world as a descendant of David, according to the flesh.

But, beloved, in verse 4, he is not only a descendant of David, according to the flesh, but he was declared to be the son of God with power. He declared to be the son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. You know how God declared him to be the son of God? You know how God the Father, declared his son publicly to be the son of God. Many times we find him saying, declaring publicly, this is my beloved son, in whom I found all my delight. He said this in Matthew chapter 3, in Matthew chapter 17, this is my beloved son.

But here, we read that he declared to be the son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. That tells us that God had declared him his son publicly, when he raised him from the dead. When he died on the cross, and then he was buried in a tomb, God had raised him from among the dead on the third day. that is a proof to us that God is declaring him to be the son of God. You remember we read of him in Psalm 110, "Sit down on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool." God raised him from among the dead, and placed him in the pinnacle of the universe, and declared him to be the son of God.

The son of man, descendants of David, the son of God, by the resurrection from among the dead. You know, the only one that had been resurrected, and as man is sitting in the right hand of God, there is only one person, and his name is Yeshua. His name is Jesus. There is no man that had been resurrected without to go again back to die again. There is only one man that is right now, even today as we are sitting here together, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, as the one that God found all his delight in him, declared to be the son of God, by the resurrection from the dead.

And so, here Paul introducing himself. Number one, servant. Verse 1a. Number two, an apostle. Verse 1b. Number three, a preacher of the gospel. Verses 1c to verse 4, inclusive. He is the preacher of the gospel that was separated unto the gospel of God. And so now, quickly in the next verses, verses 5, 6, and 7, he is presenting himself in a fourth way. Here he is presenting himself as the apostle to the Gentiles. This is important because after all he is writing to the Roman believers. The Roman believers were mostly non-Jews, non-Hebrews. And so, he wanted to show to them that he is an apostle that had been separated unto this gospel for the benefit of the Gentiles, of the nations of the world.

And so, in verses 5, 6, and 7, he is showing to them that he was separated, he was chosen to be a vessel for the benefit of the nations of this world. And so, he is telling them in verse 5, his work was for the nations, by whom we have received grace of an apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for his name. You see, the apostle Paul was after all chosen to be a vessel that he would go all over the world to preach the gospel to the nations of this world. And you know, you and I benefited from this today. The very fact that there are believers all over the world today is because God had raised a man by the name of Shaul, whose name is also his Paul.

And he has gone to the nations of the world, Aminu, and so on. And he spread the message of the gospel to the world around for the benefit of the Gentile world. Because the gospel, though it was spoken about through the prophet, though it was written in the Hebrew scriptures, it was for the benefit of all the nations of the world. It was not only for Israel. It was for everyone from among the nations of the world. And so he's telling us in this verse that it was, the work was for the nations of the world. All the nations. And then in verse 6, he's showing to them that also the Roman believers have been called.

They have been chosen by God. In verse 6 it says, among whom you are also the called of Jesus the Messiah. You see, every one of us have been called by the Lord. Every one of us that belonged to the Lord Jesus, he had called us. We wouldn't come on our own. We know this very well. Men love darkness rather than light. We choose evil rather than good. Man by nature is a sinner. God calls us and he draws us and he pulls us to himself. And when we acknowledge that, we realize, Lord, after all you have called me. You have called me to be part of the family of God.

You have chosen me. And we realize what God has done for us by calling us to become part of the family of God. So the Romans believers are also called. They have been called just like Paul was called to be a servant, to be a bondman, to be an apostle. They were also called and chosen by God. And brothers and sisters, I want to tell you, I mean, I'm not telling this truth to the unbelieving world today, but we only learn it when we come in, that after all God really called us to be part of the family of God. He has chosen us in Christ, in the Messiah, before the foundation of this world.

Every one of us have been called by God, by the Lord Jesus. And the last verse in the session that we are studying today is verse 7. Paul is an apostle to the Gentiles, but he shows them in verse 7, that the believers at Rome are called saints, separated unto God. It says in verse 7, to all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called saints. Again, you notice that in the King James says called to be saints, the words to be are in italic. They are not there. They shouldn't be there. Called saints. Not to be saints. You can't make yourself a saint. You might try very hard.

I might try very hard to behave like saints, but you are called saints by divine design. Called saints. You know this. You know this. He's saying called saints. He said to the beloved of God, grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. And the called saints, we are called to be separated unto Him. And you know what is a saint? The word saint simply means to be kadosh, or kdushah, or lehit kadesh. It comes from the Hebrew word kadosh. Kadosh means to be set apart for its proper use. That's what we are called to be. We are called to be set apart for a proper use.

What does that mean? You and I called saints means that we are being separated for God, for Him. We are to devote our life practically for Him, but positionally God have elected us and brought us to Himself to be separated for Him, a people that belong to Him. Do you know, beloved brothers and sisters, that even though we are here in this world today, this world is not our own. We are people that are called a separated people. We don't behave like this all the time. We have to admit that. Because sin creeps into our lives, and we fail the Lord so much, but positionally we are, as far as God is concerned, we are sanctified, we are saints, belong to Him, set apart for Him.

How is it in our life practically? How is it in my life? How is it in your life? How is it in your life? If God looked at us and says, "You are mine!" How do I practically show it in the world in which we live in today? Many times, sadly, we have to admit that we are not separated to the Lord. The world has so much impact upon our lives that the Lord does not receive His portion, but one day, beloved brothers and sisters, one day will come, and when the Lord Jesus the Messiah will come and take us to be with Him, we are going to be totally, entirely, all day long, forever and ever, forever and ever to be that nation, that people, that company that belonged to Him, separated unto Him, sanctified, set apart for the person of the Lord Jesus the Messiah.

That is the beauty of the Gospel. The Gospel is not only how to get saved, but it is also a body of truth that brings about the reality that we, the believers, are a people that belong to God on a basis of the work of Yeshua the Messiah. And so He is saying to them in verse 7, and He is closing this and He is saying to them, "Grace be to you and peace and shalom from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus the Messiah." He is greeting them and He is saying to them, "I wish for you the grace, the chesed, and the peace, the shalom, that coming from God the Father and also God the Son.

I wish this for you as you are walking here in this world, the grace and the peace which come from the Father and from the Son." Anyway, beloved brothers and sisters, this is just a little introduction to the Book of Romans. And as the Apostle Paul introduces himself to the believers at Rome. He is a servant, he is an apostle, he is a preacher of the Gospel, but he is an apostle that is serving the Gentile world, the nations of this world. He was sent to share that message to the nations of this world. May the Lord help us to understand this and to appreciate what the Lord Jesus the Messiah have done for us.