Okay, the book that we are studying now is the book of Romans and I'd like you please to take with me your Bibles and turn to Romans chapter 1 as we are continuing to look into that wonderful letter that Shaul, Paul, wrote to the Romans believers, introducing himself first of all to them in chapter 1 and revealing to them who he really is and actually by writing to them he wanted to communicate with them what i believe all of us need as believers in the Lord Jesus the Lord Yeshua the Messiah you know brothers and sisters that the Lord want us to grow spiritually the Lord want us to appreciate what he had done for us through Yeshua through the Lord Jesus the Messiah he wants us, God wants us to grow and to mature spiritually.

Now we are studying already the book of Romans in our Bible class and we have arrived as I've said before to chapter 12 but I wanted specifically in these ministry meetings to emphasize specifically the first chapters of. The book of Roman which every believer in Yeshua the Messiah need to grasp to get a hold of as we are growing as we live for the Lord and we walk with our Savior day by day and so Romans chapter one we have covered verses one to seven already and in these verses verses one to seven we have seen how the apostle introduces himself to the believers and he's introducing himself by giving his credentials by telling them who actually he was who he is but today we're going to continue from verse 8 and in these verses verses 8 to 17 he gives them additional information about himself and his concern for those believers and so follow up as i'm reading from verse 8 of Roman chapter 1 he's saying to them first i thank my God through Yeshua the Messiah through Jesus Christ for you all that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world for God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers.

Making request if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end that ye may be established, that is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. Now, I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that often time I purposed to come unto you, but I was let hitherto that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. I'm a debtor, both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise, so as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith. I'm stopping here in verse 17 and i trust with the Lord's help to finish here from verses 8 to 17 in this ministry meeting today now let me remind you that as we are reading the book of Roman we have to have one thing specifically in mind is that the theme of the book of Roman is the righteousness of God God by virtue of the work that he had accomplished through his son have provided for us, you and I, righteousness which we could have never gained on our own.

God, by virtue of the price that His Son paid for us on the cross, on the tree, provided for us justification which we could have never gained on our own. Not by works of righteousness, not by keeping laws, Not by duties and deeds, not by any other means, beloved brothers and sisters, you and I could ever stand the right before God. The theme of the book of Romans is the righteousness of God. And you know what, brothers and sisters, let me tell you that today, every one of us in this room that belong to Yeshua, the Messiah, Every one of us can say with assurance on the basis of the word of God, I know that God have accepted me as sinner because of what his son, the Mashiach, the Messiah, have done for me on the cross.

We can say with assurance that God is looking at us and He's saying, I'm accepted, I'm accepting you because of what Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah, had accomplished for us on the cross, on the tree. And so, in the first seven verses, Paul, Shaul introduced himself to the brothers and sisters at Rome. Remember, he had never been there. He have never seen most of them if not all of them he have never seen some of them he mentioned later on at the end of the letter but he actually never been at Rome so he's introducing himself he is telling them who he was and you remember what he said to them he said to them in the earlier verses of chapter one he said actually four things about himself he says number one i am a servant number two i am an apostle number three i am a preacher of the gospel and number 4, I am an apostle to you Gentiles at Rome.

I am a servant, I am an apostle, I am a preacher, and I am an apostle who is called by God to serve the Gentile world, the nations of the world. A servant, an apostle, a preacher, and a preacher who is preaching to the nations of the world. And so, as he introduced himself in such a way, he showed them, he's telling them who he was, but now he's continuing here in verses 8, all the way to verse 15, And there he is telling them about his concern for those believers. Romans 1, verses 8 to 15, he shows them the concern that he had. And brothers and sisters, I want to tell you today that you and I also need to show concern for other believers.

It is an important thing to be characterized by concern for other people by the fact that we care for other believers and so look what he's telling them beginning from verse 8 the first thing he's telling them in verse 8 that he's thankful for those brothers and sisters look verse 8 he's saying and i'm reading verse of Roman 1 verse 8 i thank my God through Yeshua the Messiah for you all that your faith is spoken throughout the whole world you see he has never been at Rome he has never seen those brothers and sisters in Rome but one thing he can tell them to these believers he says listen your faith is spread throughout the whole world everybody knew that those brothers and sisters at Rome were believers in the Lord Jesus the Messiah they had such a testimony that existed in their lives that as he says here in verse 8b says your faith is spoken of it said he's spoken of throughout the whole world everywhere that the Roman world the world.

That they have occupied the then Roman world everybody knew about the believers at Rome everybody knew that they belonged to this Jesus Yeshua HaMashiach the Lord Jesus the Messiah they knew about their faith now sometimes when we think of ourselves i wonder even if our neighbors know that we're believing in the Lord Jesus i wonder if the people around us can say that this person this brother this sister that you and i are believers in the Lord Jesus the Messiah their faith was so evident that others around the world knew that they are belonging to the Lord Jesus and he said i thank my God through Jesus the Messiah for you all by the way he was at that time writing from Corinth and as he writing from Corinth he hears about the faith of those believers at Rome and their testimony for the Lord you know it's so powerful when others around us can tell us listen this group of people have a real testimony for Jesus maybe they are not perfect.

And we know they are not perfect but they have a testimony that they belong to the Lord Jesus the Messiah it's an evident in their lives when somebody come into our midst and he's an unbeliever can he say wow i've really have been in the presence of a company that has spoken about the one Savior namely Yeshua the Messiah it is amazing testimony to have that somebody can say that i'm so thankful to God to Yeshua the Messiah for you all because your faith is spoken throughout the whole world beloved this is very challenging to us Paul is mentioning this when he's writing to the Roman believers so he's thankful you know he's thankful we need to be thankful for our brothers and sisters we may not agree and see eye to eye with them at everything in their life but nevertheless we have to be thankful you don't know how thankful i am when i'm coming to Shabbat meeting or to a friday meeting and we are sitting together with maybe it is five ten twenty people.

Around the table and studying the word of God you don't know what how thankful i am for my brothers and my sisters that we can enjoy some time together around the Lord we should enjoy beyond our meetings on not only for the meeting but the point is that we need to learn to be thankful for each other not only to see the wrong thing in each other but to see that which is from Christ from the Messiah in the life of our brothers and our sisters remember Paul never saw these believers he only heard about them he haven't been at Rome as yet and he's looking forward to be there and to be with them but he said i heard your faith is being spread throughout the whole world but not only this he's continuing in verses 9 and 10 and there he's moving to the next thing that he's mentioning to the believers at Rome the next thing we find out that he's not only thankful for.

Them verse 8 but he's also praying for them verses 9 and 10 God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his son that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers making request if by any means now at length i might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you here we find the apostle Paul praying for the people at Rome well Paul you pray for your family for your friends for the people who serve with you how do you have the time to pray for others at Rome which you don't even really have never been there never seen But Paul, apparently, was the kind of a man that was a praying man.

He was committed, he was separated unto the gospel of God, and he was so concerned for the believers at Rome that he was constantly praying for his brothers and sisters whom he haven't actually visited and have seen. It's amazing to see that, beloved brothers and sisters. Here he shows to them, he's telling the believers at Rome what he thinks about them. He is thankful for them, but he's also praying for his brothers and sisters at Rome. I mentioned it many times. Let me mention this again. If we will pray for each other more, you will see what a difference it's going to make in our lives.

If we will pray for each other more, you will see how our attitude towards our brothers and sisters will change. If we will pray for each other more, you will see how much peace it's going to give us in our own lives. If we will pray for each other more, what a glory we're going to give to our blessed God and our blessed Lord. That's what we need in our lives. That's what Paul is telling to the believers. He says, listen, I'm praying for you. And by the way, the Apostle Paul was a man of prayer. And almost every epistle that he wrote, he mentioned the word prayer.

It says in chapter 12 of the book of Romans, he says, continue instant in prayer. In Ephesians chapter 6, he says, praying always. In Philippians chapter 4 and verses 6 and 7, he says, in everything by prayer and supplication, make your request. Let your request be made known unto God. In the book of Thessalonians, he says in 1 Thessalonians 5, he says, pray without ceasing. One of the shortest verses in the Bible. In the book of Colossians, he says, in Colossians chapter 4, he says, Continue in prayer. Prayer. What is prayer? You don't have to be a scholar to know what prayer is. Prayer is lifting up our hearts and words coming out of our mouth, saying, Lord, I want you to help.

I want you to encourage. I want to pray for my brothers and sisters who are going through various challenges in their life. Lord, minister to your people. That's what prayer is. Paul was praying for them. He showed this in his life. He says, For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayer. You know, he didn't just tell them this to make them happy in that sense. He told them the sincerity of his heart. That was real in the life of Shaul, of Paul. He was praying for the people of God.

How about us, brothers and sisters? Is it something that you and I would desire to do, to pray for our brothers and sisters? I'm sure we would. It's just sometimes we are so busy, we are occupied with ourselves, we are occupied with other things, and we don't take the time to pray for our brothers and sisters. I would like to challenge all of us to pray for our fellowship, to pray for, you know, every Shabbat we mention the radio program, the Bible classes, the Shabbat meetings, and so on. Don't you think it's important to pray for that? I can say that you would agree with me.

Yes, Brother Gideon, we agree with you. We really need to pray for that. Let's take like the Apostle Paul a few minutes every day and praying for our brothers and sisters, some in particular, some in general, and to just commit the needs that they have to the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. So he's thankful in verse 8. He's a praying person for them in verses 9 and 10. Notice now what we read in verses 11 and 12. In verses 11 and 12, you see that he longed for them. He really longed for them. In verse 11, he says, for I long to see you. I want to see you. That I may impart unto you some spiritual gift today, and that ye may be established.

That is, that I may be comforted together with you by a mutual faith, both of you and of me. You see, here we see the fact that the Apostle Paul had the heart of a shepherd, a pastor. You know, pastor is not a title. It's not something we have on the door there that we say, I am a pastor. A pastor is a shepherd. A shepherd is a person that gives care for the sheep. He is a shepherd. He is concerned for the people of God. So here we see a person such as the Apostle Paul, he says, listen, I desire, he says, In those verses 11 and 12, it says, I long to see you.

I want to see you. Why, Paul? Why do you want to see the brothers and sisters at Rome? You see why I want to see you? Because I want to impart unto you some spiritual gift to the intent that you may be established. Now, Paul did not have like a bag with gifts that he was going to give, spiritual gifts. He was not the one who gives gifts. It is the resurrected Messiah the glorified Lord who gave gifts unto men every gift that you and i have is a gift that we receive from the glorified Messiah from the Lord but what he wanted is that when he is meeting with them and he will be with them he might be encouraging them to stimulate the gift that the Lord had given to them and to develop them that they will be maturing and growing and being established believers in Yeshua, the Messiah.

It is sad to see Christians that have been saved already 10, 20, 30 years are not established, wavering from right to left, from left to right, every wind of doctrine, everybody come and they say something and they are doing this way, they heard someone there, they go this way. It is so sad to see believers that are not established in the truth of the word of God how we get established we get established when we are occupied with the Lord and we are consistently following after the Lord stumbling. A time falling a time and yet getting up and continuing on establishing the truth studying the Scripture being under the sound of the word being an encouragement receiving encouragement from the things of the Lord and not from the world and all its influence and not from Satan and all his arrows that he shoots at us and established in the things of the Lord established growing maturing i want you to turn to Ephesians chapter 4 for a moment for a verse there Ephesians chapter 4 the same apostle wrote to the believers at Ephesus and he told them the very same thing that we are hearing of Paul telling to the Romans believers in Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 11 we read this he this is the Messiah Yeshua our Lord the glorified Mashiach he gave some apostles some prophets some evangelists some pastors and teachers why verse 12 for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ the body of.

Mashiach why until they will all come into the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the son of God unto a mature man unto a measure of the stature of the fullness of the Messiah and listen to verse 14 that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive see what he's saying here in this letter to the Ephesians believers he says listen the gifts that God had given that the Messiah the glorified head from heaven had given unto us why so we will grow that we will mature, that we will no longer be tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine.

That's what Paul is saying to the people at Rome. He says, I am as a shepherd, want to come to see you. I'm longing to see you, brothers and sisters at Rome, for the purpose that you will be established. Established. You know, we often look at ourselves from a physical point of view, in this world we see this person he's established here in this world he got a home he got a car he got a bank account he's established he got a good Job he's established a newcomer who come from one country to another country he's starting a new life and he's not yet established he need to spend some time he need to grow he need to have work he need to develop it takes some time until he's established in a new country what spiritually speaking is just the same a newborn babe become a child of God a person become a child of God he need to continuing on to nurse to mature to feed.

On the word the sincere milk of the word that he may grow thereby Peter said it to the early believers and so Paul's saying the same thing he's saying listen I want so much to come to see you I long to see you because as a shepherd as a pastor as a spiritual leader I want to see you established growing in the things of the Lord and why notice verse 12 that is that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me you know he needed also to be comforted you know you often think we often look at those spiritual leaders and we think what do they need you see we need all the time to come to them and we need to get encouragement from them and then we need to tell them our needs and we need to tell them our problem and we need to tell them everything but you know they're okay they're like a wall everything can go to them they can.

Like a soundboard you know everything is fine with him but Paul had a need too Paul said listen i want to be comforted by you also not only i am to comfort you he's telling to the believers at Rome they'll be mutual two-sided and that's what he's telling the brothers and sisters at Rome he says listen that is that i may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith of yours and of mine and he needed that as well you know later on Paul was in jail when he got to Rome by the way he was in bonds he was locked in he was in a house people could come to visit him but he could not do what he want and he needed an encouragement also and so he's telling them listen that's the third thing I don't only thankful to God for you I'm not only praying for you but I want to see you I love you brothers and sisters at Rome and I want to come to you so you can benefit you can.

Be established so we can be an encouragement to each other there's an older brother in Niagara or the lake area that almost every week we have some time together he's an older brother he's about 80 years of age and I always go with him walk with him and we often speak about the things of the Lord that's what he enjoys so much to talk about and I tell you so nice to be able to have iron sharpening iron to come and to talk about this subject and this subject to share the issues of life the problems of life and we can share with each other and hear him and he hears me and it's such an encouragement because we all need someone and more than one we can bounce things to each other share with each other and be encouraged the mutual encouragement by one another so he's thankful he's praying he's a loving shepherd who care for them want to see them but now notice he moving on into verse 13 and 14 and there he's telling to them that he has a debt.

That he owes unto them. Verses 13 and 14. Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purpose to come unto you, but I was let hither too, that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. I am a debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and unto the unwise. This is the fourth thing that he's telling them now when it's come to sharing with them what he thinks about them. He already told them that he is thankful for them. He told them he's praying for them. He told them that he loves them, but now he's telling them that he's a debtor.

He owe them and others among the Gentile world that he have a debt, a debt to the people of the world that he'd have and that's why he's telling them notice he calling them brethren this is by the way i believe the first time in the book of Romans that we have the word brethren achim brethren there were brothers and sisters in Mashiach in Christ they were not Jewish they were not his physical brother they were not Jewish by physical birth but they were his brethren on the basis of the fact that they believed in Yeshua the Messiah i do not want you brethren to be ignorant that often time i purpose to come unto you he wanted to come to them i tried i purpose i had in my mind to visit you and perhaps maybe perhaps they looked at him and they say Paul you know he is from a faith his Jewish background maybe he really didn't want to come why doesn't he come so he's telling.

Them here listen i really purposed to come to you i really had in mind to come unto you but somehow he said i was let hither too in other words i intended but i was hindered something have happened to me and i couldn't come to you but i wanted to come to you why that i might have some fruit among you even as among other Gentiles he visited there he was at Corinth visiting the believers at Corinth he was visiting other places but he didn't get to Rome so Paul is showing to them that he really meant to come to visit them at Rome but somehow some things have come across and he could not arrive yet unto them.

So he tells them, listen, I'm a debtor. I'm in debt to you. Paul says, I feel that I owe you something. I feel that I'm a debtor. He's a debtor to the Greeks, to the barbarians. He's a debtor to the wise and to the unwise. The Greeks, by the way, who had been occupied with philosophy always thought that they were much superior to the others and that's why there is a distinction between the Greeks and the barbarian the barbarian they were not the ones that knew philosophy they were the simple ones and the comparison here is between the Greeks and the barbarian the Greeks were the wise and the barbarian were the unwise the Greeks oftentimes have thought that they were superior by virtue of the fact that they know philosophy.

They were wise. They were superior than the others. And so Paul said, listen, I am a debtor to the Greeks. I am a debtor to the barbarian. I am a debtor to the wise, and I am a debtor to the unwise. Why did he feel like that? You know why? He felt that the information that he has concerning the person of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, And the righteousness that he had provided for him and for mankind, he had felt that he was a debtor to everyone in this world. That he owes something, not only owes to men, but he owes to God to share this with men.

Because he had the information. A lost world that knew no salvation, knew no justification. A pagan world owed to share with them the message that he had. I am a debtor. I owe you something. I want to come to you, and I want to share these things with you. Now remember, brothers and sisters, he's calling them brethren. And the point that we learn here, we're going to see that as we move on in this book of Romans, that the gospel is not only the good news that we can be saved through the Lord Jesus the Messiah, but the gospel is a far larger concept and truth than merely only salvation, though that is the beginning.

The truth of the gospel is far larger than only get saved and go to heaven. The gospel is a body of truth that is larger than only how to get your sins forgiven. Is what it meant by that. And what's the price that God had provided. And how God can be a holy God and yet allow a sinful man to be justified. And how God could forgive sins. And how the relationship that we have been brought into as believers in Yeshua the Messiah is a large theme the gospel and he said i'm a debtor to speak to you brethren to mature you to develop you to help you to grow spiritually to establish you and i'm a debtor unto you and i wanted to come to share with you much more than what you already know and so he's saying to them in verses 13 and 14 that he is a debtor he was in debt because of the gift of the Revelation that he had received from God he was a debtor to share with those believers at Rome much more than what he had received the Revelation that he had received from the Lord Jesus the Messiah and so we are continuing here in this passage and so verses 8 to 15 so far he is thankful for them verse 8 he is praying for them verses 9 and 10 he longed to see them verses 11 and 12 and he felt.

That he was in debt to those believers at Rome in verses 13 and 14 because of the Revelation that he had received from the glorified Mashiach and finally in verse 15 he is telling them that he's eager he's eager zealous ready to visit them to come to see them this is verse 15 so i so as much as it is within me i am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome again you notice how interesting he said i'm ready to preach to you brethren the gospel to you the gospel you that Rome again you can see that when he's talking about the gospel in here in the book of Romans he means far larger truth body of truth than only the fact that you can get saved through faith in Christ it's far more than just that it's a larger body of truth that he's speaking about here in those verses so he's ready he's eager he's prepared to come to share with them the message.

The total body of truth that is found in the gospel you notice by the way that is the second time that he used the word i am in verse 14 i am detto in verse 15 i am ready i am detto and i am ready i'm eager that word for ready is taken to be from the Greek not only merely ready it is i'm eager i really want to come to you dear brothers and sisters at Rome to preach unto you the gospel to you that are at Rome also he was going around establishing believers in other local areas philippi Ephesus Corinth and other places but he haven't arrived to Rome and he wanted to be so much there beloved brothers and sisters so he can help them to mature and to grow and he was eager to do that this is the desire of every pastor every spiritual leader who really want to see the believers growing and maturing and developing in a most holy faith and so he is telling to them.

I'm not only a debtor, verse 14, but I'm also ready, I'm eager to come to you to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome. And so, in those verses, now verses 8 to 15, we see the Apostle Paul telling the believers at Rome what he's thinking about them. He thinks very positive thoughts about his brothers and sisters. He is thankful, he is prayerful, he is a loving one, he is in debt to them, and he is eager to come to see them and to minister to them. How about you and I? Where are we fitting into all this statement? Are we thankful for our brothers and sisters?

Are we praying for our brothers and sisters? Do we love them in some small measure, even though oftentimes we are not so lovable? What about feeling the debt, the necessity, the obligation that we have to minister to each other, to establish each other in the truth of God? And what about willingness, eagerness to see the welfare and the growth of our brothers and sisters? That is really spiritual life. That is a spiritual attitude that we ought to have as brothers and sisters in the Mashiach, in Christ. Well, I'm moving on to the last two verses, verses 16 and 17, here in this passage. And I told you, when Paul introduces and writing this letter to the believers at Rome, first of all, in the first seven verses, he's introducing himself, telling them who he was.

Then in verses 8 to 15 that we just study and finish, he's expressing to them, he's telling them how much he's thankful for them. And now in these next verses, verses 16 and 17, he's telling the brothers and sisters at Rome his confidence in the gospel. He's telling them what he thinks, not so much about them now, but what he thinks about the gospel. What he thinks about what the Lord, Yeshua the Messiah, have done. And so here are those two verses. Again, I want you to notice that. Again, it is the third time that he used the word I am. In verse 16. I am not ashamed of the gospel of Mashiach, of Messiah, of Christ, of Christos.

Why, Paul, verse 16b, For it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith. Now here, brothers and sisters, is a very powerful two verses that we have here in Romans 1, verses 16 and 17. Here Shaul, here Paul, is showing the brothers and sisters in Rome his confidence, his assurance, his confidence in the gospel. He is telling them here how sure he is in this body of truth that he wants to share with the brethren at Rome.

And I want you to notice three, four, five things here in this verse, especially verse 16. The first thing he is telling them, I am not ashamed of the gospel of the Messiah, of the gospel of Christ. You will see, you know, this word ashamed oftentimes is being misunderstood. When we read such a verse, we think of some things that we do in our life. When we go outside of our home and sit in a restaurant and we are ready to eat and we are not ashamed to give thanks for the food. Then maybe other times we are not ashamed to wear a shirt that says Jesus saves or Yeshua saves.

Or other things that we oftentimes use as a symbol, the deeds that we do concerning the person of the Lord Jesus and we say we are not ashamed of the Lord Jesus Christ. And sometimes, unfortunately, we are. Having to admit we are ashamed because we do not want publicly to be identified with Him because somehow we are going to be persecuted or disliked because of our relationship to Him. And oftentimes, unfortunately, we are ashamed of the Lord and our relationship with Him because we know what it will mean. But I believe, beloved brothers and sisters, that Paul does not talk about not being ashamed to give thanks at the restaurant.

He's not talking about not being ashamed of telling my neighbors that I believe in Jesus. When he's saying, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of the Messiah, he's not talking about those things, but he's talking about the fact that here, he learned a principle, a truth that is so deep that he have learned it by divine design. God revealed this to him, that here he learned about a fact that there is a holy God in heaven who righteously and appropriately could destroy the world whom he created for his pleasure, a world that have gone astray. And he's going to show it to us later on.

And he has a right to destroy this world. And yet, he was willing to pay the price himself that he, as a holy God, can allow a sinful man to be brought unto himself without diminishing one iota from his holiness. One has said something like this. I do not understand how can a holy God take a sinful man into his presence without tainting his holiness. How is it possible? How is it possible that a holy God can take a sinful race and out of this race bring people to himself without one iota, one point one deviating from his holiness how is it possible Paul is saying i know how it is possible it is possible because of the gospel of our Lord Jesus the Messiah it is a possible because someone have done something that was unimaginable God himself is the source you see if you look at this verse and you will see the source of this gospel is the gospel of Christ the gospel of the Messiah the source of it is not from man but the source of it is from God that's why we read three times in this chapter first of all 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 the source of these glad tidings this news for mankind it is coming from God it was not initiated by men and Paul is saying i'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ then he continued and he's saying what is the nature of this gospel you see he immediately said i'm not ashamed of the gospel of the Messiah for it is the power of God. It is the dynamite of God. It is God's power. It is the nature of it. It is the power of God. God would not be able to bring a sinful man to his presence without the gospel.

God could not save us by power. God could not save us by, even if he was willing to save us, he couldn't save us unless the Messiah paid the price it is God's dynamite it is God's power he continued he's saying what is the purpose of the gospel i'm not ashamed of the gospel of the Messiah for it is the power of God unto salvation the purpose of the gospel is to save sinful men. That's the purpose. The purpose is to bring you and I, the purpose is to bring the Romans that he wrote to, the purpose is to bring mankind unto himself. It is the power of God, but it is unto salvation.

The reason that we have the gospel is that people can get saved and be brought into a relationship with a holy God and be brought back into a place that they have lost through the sin of Adam and his descendants. And so the source is God and the nature of it is the power of God. The purpose is to salvation, to bring men to himself, to bring them, to make them a saved company, a saved, a redeemed people. But then look, it continues. Who is it for? What is the limitation of it? Notice it says here in verse 16, I am not ashamed of the gospel of the Messiah, for it is the power of God unto salvation.

And then it says to everyone. Nobody in this world can ever say that it is not for him or not for her. It's for everyone. Jewish people, our own people, ourselves, the nations of the world, the Gentile world as well, It's not limited for the nation of Israel. It is expanding, and it is beyond the borders of Israel. It is to all the nations of the world, to everyone. But who's going to benefit from that? Listen to this, to the next point. Who is the one that's going to benefit from that? Who is the receivers? It says, everyone that what? That believeth. You cannot enjoy that fact unless you believe in the Lord Jesus, the Messiah.

Everyone in order for he or she to benefit from the gospel of God the gospel of the Lord Jesus the Messiah is one must believe and accept it and that's why Paul is saying to the Roman I am not ashamed of the gospel of Messiah for it is God's dynamite God's power to everyone but to everyone that believes we cannot say well God loves everyone he does and I can go to heaven and I've right with God yes you can but if you don't believe the gospel which is the work of Christ the Messiah on the tree the death the burial the resurrection of the Messiah you cannot enjoy what God has in mind for mankind i am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ of the Messiah for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believe and noticed it it says it continue in that verse to the Jew first and also unto the Greek.

Now I'm going to say something that perhaps not everyone would agree with me on that. And oftentimes this part of the verse, oftentimes. People do not agree and do not understand the last part of the verse where it says to the Jew first and also to the Greek. I believe the mistake that people do or do not see when they say it was to the Jew first 2,000 years ago. And now it is no longer to the Jew first. But I want you to read this text with me one more time. Listen, it says, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. And I want you to underline the word it is.

The word is. For it is the power of God unto salvation to the Jew first and also to the Greek or to everyone that believed to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Now, if we take the word is and apply it only to the word gospel and not also to the word to the Jew first, then we have a real problem here. Because if the gospel was to the Jew first and now no longer to the Jew first, then we can say that the gospel also was the power of God unto salvation and no longer the power of God unto salvation but you see what the verse says very clearly I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is present tense continuous action it is then and now it is now the gospel it is the power of God unto salvation and it is now also to the Jew first and also to the Greek now i know not everybody sees that and not everybody even agree with that but beloved i want to suggest to you that you'll see in the life of the apostle Paul wherever he have gone to preach the gospel in a city in a town he always went to the Jew first you read it in the book of act and i have some verses if you just quickly want to Mark them in Acts chapter 13 he went to the synagogue.

First of all in Acts chapter 14 he went to the synagogue first of all in Acts chapter 16 when he went to Philippi he went first of all to look for the Jewish people in that city in Acts chapter 17 in Acts chapter 18 19 28 those chapters every time that apostle Paul have gone to preach the gospel in a city he first of all have gone to the synagogue of the Jews some accept him some did not and he moved on and he shared with the rest of the city the message of the gospel I'm not ashamed of the gospel of the Messiah, for it is present day, present continuous way, it is a present tense, it is the power of God, and it is unto salvation to everyone that believed, to the Jew first, and also unto the Greek.

Today, how do we apply this today, when we share with the gospel? It doesn't mean that now when we go to a certain place, we don't go to share the gospel with a non-Jewish person. We go straight to a Jewish person, not necessarily. But what it means that there must be in every community of believers and reaching out to the Jewish people as well. How often time we're going visiting believers and they don't have any exercise whatsoever in sharing the gospel with the Jewish people. As far as they're concerned, the Jews had their chance. They have denied the Lord. They did not accept Yeshua as the Messiah.

God finished with the Jews, and now He is starting with us. I don't see it in the Bible nowhere. Paul, who was an apostle to the Gentiles, wherever he had gone, he had gone first of all to the Jewish synagogue, share with them that Yeshua was the Messiah, and that God is saving souls. And then when they are rejected, or whoever have accepted, He moved on, and he continued to share the gospel elsewhere. So if you read this verse, it is, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is, present day, it is, number one, the power of God, number two, it is to the Jew first.

If it's not to the Jew first, you cannot read this verse in the same way, because then it is not the power of God unto salvation. It was the power of God unto salvation, and it's no more, if you read it in that way. It was to the Jew, and it's no more than it was the power of God, and it's no longer. No, it is the power of God today, and it is to the Jew first today. Now, here I'm going to close with this, and listen to the last verse. And the last verse we have where he's summing it all up. You remember I told you that the theme of the book of Romans is the righteousness of God.

So verse 17, it says, for therein, what in? In this body of truth, in the gospel, in this body of truth, the righteousness of God revealed from faith unto faith. In this body of truth that is the gospel, God's righteousness is revealed to all from faith unto faith. In other words it is starting with faith and it is continuing in faith is from faith unto faith there is an ongoing faith to believe unto salvation but it's an ongoing life of faith to continue to follow the Lord Jesus the Messiah and he's quoting to us an old testament verse remember Paul did not have the brit hadasha in his hand he didn't have the new testament he had the Tanakh he had the law Torah he had the prophets Nevi'im he had the writing Ketuvim and so he's telling them for it is written and he's quoting a verse from the prophet Habakkuk Habakkuk chapter 2 and verse 4 the just shall live by faith actually it is six words in English but it's only three words in Hebrew in Hebrew three words from Habakkuk 2 and verse 4 is the just just in Hebrew it's actually it means by faith shall live the righteous, the just with his faith or by his faithfulness will live this is a life.

An ongoing life relationship with God Habakkuk chapter 2 and verse 4 and that verse from Habakkuk 2 and verse 4 is quoted in three pieces in the new testament is quoted in the book of galatian is quoted in the book of Hebrews and is quoted in this book in the book of Romans and every book emphasizes different words in the book of Roman the emphasis is the just justification we have been justified and because we have been justified God declared the believer just in the book of Hebrews the emphasis is by faith by faithfulness Hebrews chapter 10 and the book of Galatians chapter 3 and verse 11 is the emphasis of the two words shall live how shall the believer live the justified one should live in a faithful way by his faithfulness that's the thought that we have in those three epistles and so the apostle Paul quoting to us in Romans chapter 1 verse 16 Habakkuk 2 and verse 4 from the old testament from the Tanakh from the prophets where Habakkuk was told by the Lord the just shall live by his.

Faithfulness and that's what beloved brothers and sisters Paul is trying to tell the Romans believers they have been justified and now because they have been justified they should seek to live their lives in a faithful way by faith in the Lord Jesus the Messiah's ongoing living as believers in the Lord Jesus the Messiah and so here three things and i'm closing we have covered he introduces himself to the brothers and sisters at Rome first of all verses 1 to 7 he told them his credential who he was a servant an apostle a preacher and a preacher unto the Gentile then he's telling them in verses 8 to 15 he's telling them what he thinks about them he's thankful for them he's praying for them he loves them he feels in debt towards them and he's ready to visit those brothers and sisters in Rome and thirdly in verses 16 and 17 he's telling the believers what he thinks about the gospel and the confidence that he have in the gospel.

It was originated by God it is the power of God unto salvation it is to everyone and it is to everyone that believes and now he's closing and he's saying in this gospel it is the the righteousness of God revealed in this body of truth the righteousness of God revealed from faith unto faith as it is written the just the just shall live by his faithfulness