Let's open the Word of God this morning and find ourselves in the epistle of Paul to the Romans. Romans chapter number 1, and while you're turning, I just want to mention a few people that we ought to continue to be in prayer for. There are so many in the church right now that are battling sickness. and issues of health. I think of Brother Hank Schultz and Ms. Cheryl, it's good to see you this morning, but please continue to pray for Hank as he battles with cancer. Things have become very difficult for him and we need to remember him in our prayers. We also need to pray for Michaela Kylan. She is in the hospital today as well and She's got some things going on. They're not certain what might be happening, so please pray for her. And then it has been so good, and I was looking for them, and there they are, the Reisigers. They've been backslidden and haven't been to church in a while. If you're visiting, they haven't been. They've been going through a major trial. But it's good to see you both in service this morning. We've been praying for and will continue to pray for you. And I've been so pleased to hear many of the reports about Avonlea's health and her development. So we're going to continue to pray for baby Avonlea. But it's good to see both of you here with us this morning. So let's continue to pray. And then also, you know, keep praying for the Peters twins. They are home now and continuing to strengthen those little bodies as well. And there's just so many that are battling with sickness. Miss Victoria, it's good to have Tiffany back as well. So, when all these people start getting sick and having issues, it kind of makes me nervous. Makes me want to just stay away from all of you. But we'll not be doing that. Alright, here we are in the book of Romans, Romans chapter 1. Let's go ahead and stand to our feet out of reverence for the reading of God's Word. Romans chapter 1, it seemed that Paul had a great desire to come to those who were in Rome, to preach the gospel unto them and to reach even further with the truth of God's message of deliverance. And the Bible says in Romans chapter 1, beginning in verse number 8, It says, First, I thank my God 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 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 oft times I purposed to come unto you, but was led hitherto. 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 to the unwise. So as much as in me is, 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 is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. As it is written, the just shall live by faith. Father, we quiet our hearts this morning and place our feet on the foundation of your Word. And Lord, I pray that you would empty me of myself and fill me with your Spirit. Lord, that your truth would be communicated by the power of your Word this morning through me, your servant. And Lord, I ask that you would do the work intended in the hearts of your people. Father, that you would reach out to those who have been saved and are resting on that firm foundation. And Lord, may they be encouraged by the work of your hand. But Lord, I pray that if there's any among us here this morning that have never received Christ as their Savior, Lord, that today would be the day of their salvation. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you for standing. You may be seated. I love what is said so passionately as I read it with my eyes and feel this within my soul in Romans chapter 1 verse number 16. Leading up to this verse you see this desire for the Apostle Paul to come together and to be in union there with those believers at Rome. He even says in verse number 11, for I long to see you. that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift to the end that ye may be established. And there's a certain desire here in the apostle's heart to establish the believers that are there in Rome. For no doubt, they are experiencing wave after wave, if you would, a flood of persecution and difficulty within their lives. And it was the apostle's desire to come into their presence. And to use the spiritual gifts given to Him that He might impart them with that gift. That gift of His presence. That gift of His teaching and instruction. As He would not point them to Himself, but that as He would point them to the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. That's why he says in verse number 12, that is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith, both of you and me. And as we are gathered here in the house of God, I pray that it could be said of us as well, that you may have come in from a storm of difficulty this morning. And it is my desire, just as it was the desire of the Apostle Paul, to come into a place that we can comfort ourselves together with that which we have in common, the mutual faith in the providential care of God. That God, through the Lord Jesus Christ, has cleansed us from our sins, who has placed us in this family, the family of God, who has adopted us as brothers and sisters in Christ, and we have been placed in a situation that is unshakable, that is unmovable, that is sure and secure, and we have been placed there by faith, by grace, by mercy, and by the hand of God. You see, the Apostle Paul, who's a beneficiary of God's grace. That's why he tells us in verse number 15 that, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also, for there are those in Rome that needed to hear this message. And this is the context that leads us up to verse 16, where he declares that he is not ashamed. He is not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. And he makes this most incredible statement that the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation. As I have dwelt on that phrase, the power of God unto salvation, I am reminded that it took an immense amount of power to save us from our sins. We often don't consider the amount of power that that must have taken because we have become so good at dressing ourselves up and we have become so favorable in our opinions about ourselves. and that here we are standing redeemed with our Sunday best on, entering into the house of God, knowing by memory the words that we're singing in our hymns and knowing by repetition the order of the service. That's why every now and then I like to throw a monkey wrench at you. Who knows, tonight we might open with preaching and end with the choir special. We've become a people so familiar with the presence of God that we miss and mistake how much power it took to save us from our sins. We live in a world that is saturated with things that are diminishing. We have resources that are diminishing. Our life is diminishing. Sorry, I didn't mean to depress you this morning. But your life is basically an hourglass filled with grains of sand. And for some of you, you've got a lot left. I hope that's me. For others... There's fewer grains tinkling in the top of that glass and there's a life that is diminishing and the Bible tells us that our life is a vapor that appeareth for a little time and then vanishes away. It tells us that our life, there is a time that is appointed unto man and that appointment is that man is once to die and after that the judgment. This has become normal for us. This diminishing nature of life. We have diminishing life. We have diminishing bank accounts. We have vehicles that are diminishing. We have homes that need repair and are diminishing. But when we come to our God, He is not a God that is decreasing, but instead He is a God that is constant from everlasting to everlasting. He is a God that is infinite. You may say, well, Pastor Jared, how is it that we go from this idea, in verse number 16, of this immense power of God to this idea of diminishing resources? And this is the segue, if I could, point yourself to this truth, that we might realize that our God is infinite. That He is the forever God and He is infinite, not just in His being, but He is also infinite in all of His attributes. That His grace is infinite. That His mercy is infinite. That His love is infinite. And that His power is infinite. But what I would like to preach on this morning is the infinite gospel. For His gospel is infinite. In this sense, Merriam-Webster defines the word infinity this way, extending indefinitely. Often times we put that in the framework and confine the word infinity to time and distance or space. We talk about the infinites of time being eternity, or we might say, well, how far is it? Well, how far is this universe? Well, it's infinite. It goes forever and ever and ever, but there is another definition of this word, immeasurably or inconceivably great or extensive. Or I love this one, infinity, subject to no limitation or external termination. And that is the nature of our God. He is not subject to any limitation, but He is infinite, He is eternal. This is a concept that is difficult for us to grasp, and is sometimes a challenge for us to understand. That God is infinite, because everything we know has an end. It has limitations, but our God has no end. If I could illustrate this point in this way, if we are ever, if we ever find ourselves in the gym, which I don't, which maybe that's obvious, I'm not sure. We find ourselves in the gym and we lay down on that bench press table and grasp the bar above our head. We lift the weight off of that rack and we lower it down to our chest. We raise it again with great strength before setting it realize, well, there's no weight on each end. That's why that was so easy. It was just a warm-up, right? So we start stacking plates on the end, and we lower that bar, and we raise it, and our arms begin to tremble and shake under the weight of it, but we make the progress to lift it just high enough to boom, set it down again, and we notice that there was a considerable difference in effort that it took to raise it the first time and the second. And if we were to go back and try to add more weight and raise it a third time, our strength would have diminished. But with God in His infinite power and strength, this is not so. If God were to raise that bar with no weight or with a million tons of weight, it would not take any more strength from Him because He has an endless supply of strength. And when we look at the power of God, we often quote that verse out of Mark Chapter number 10, that when Jesus says, with men it is impossible, but with God, but not with God, for with God all things are possible. And we use that verse to remind us that God is infinite, that God is strong, that our God is able, and that He is without limitation. But I remind you in context of the message this morning concerning the infinite gospel, is that that was a response of the Lord Jesus Christ not concerning the strength of his arm, nor the volume of his voice, nor the presence of his person, but that was a statement given in reference to the ability of God to save sinners. It was Jesus who was there in Mark chapter 10 as His disciples gather around Him after He makes the statement that it is difficult, almost impossible for a rich man to be saved. And the disciples respond and they're astonished and they say, who then can be saved. And then Jesus responds, that with men it is impossible, but not with God, for with God all things are possible. And even in the majesty of this verse, it is not in reference to the strength of God's arm, or his ability to manipulate the universe, but instead it is in specific reference to God's ability to save. And when I come to Romans chapter one, verse 16, There's a reason that the Apostle Paul is not ashamed to preach the gospel. It's because he has experienced the infinite, life-changing, life-transformative power of the gospel at the hand of Jesus Christ. Paul was adamantly opposed to the gospel. He was an enemy of the gospel. He was a persecutor of the gospel. He was the guy whom, if you were to knock on his door, would be chasing you with a ball bat off his property because he wanted nothing to do with the name of Jesus. And now he stands quite the opposite. Because in salvation, concerning the gospel, which is, by the way, the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ for the sins of mankind. In reference to the gospel, it is an infinite, infinitely powerful truth. And when I come to Romans 1-16, there are some things that I would like to examine about this truth. The first one that I want you to recognize is that this gospel is built on the grace of God. Ephesians chapter 2 verse number 8 says it this way, And the foundation of this gospel is infinite grace. Grace that has no end. Grace that has no limit. Grace that cannot be outdone or outperformed by our sin, by our wretchedness, by our depravity, or by our condition. For by grace ye are saved, but it is not of works, lest any man should boast. I love the way that the Bible unfolds itself, however. For before the Bible mentions that we are saved by grace, it says in Ephesians chapter two, verse seven, that in the ages to come, that he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. And if you are here this morning and you are confused about the way of salvation, if you're here under the sound of my voice or watching by live stream and you're wondering how does a man Get to God. And you think that it's by wealth. It is not by wealth. If you think that it's by church attendance, it is not by church attendance. If you think that it's by religious exercise, or by baptism, or by giving, or by kindness, or if you are under the understanding that our salvation is going to be a measurement, a balance, if you will, in the throne room of God where he takes all of your good works on one end and all of your bad works or bad deeds on the other and weighs them out. And if your good works outweigh your bad works, then congratulations, you get in. And if you barely make it, you get in, but you gotta live in the suburb, out there. That's not what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches absolutely that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. I do not believe the Bible teaches that there is a number of elect before the foundations of the earth that God chose for heaven and a number that He's chosen for damnation. But I want you to know that it is not our works. that get us into heaven. It is the infinite grace of God. And that grace is infinite because of the cost that was paid to purchase it. You recognize this morning that His grace is infinite because the amount that was paid for that grace was infinite. It was the blood of Jesus Christ that purchased the grace of God toward man. That's why we often use this acrostic for the word grace. G-R-A-C-E. It is God's riches at Christ's expense. It is what Jesus Christ paid on the cross that we can enter into the glories of salvation and can have our sins forgiven. That's why Romans chapter 5 says it this way, that the gift by grace which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. That's why Romans chapter 5 verse 21 says, even so might grace reign. I love that phrase, by the way. This idea that when Christ died on Calvary and rose from the dead, that he picked up grace and he put it on the throne of God and decided that it would be by grace, that grace would reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ, our Lord. You see, our need was great. Our need was great. And this is what we forget. This is what we forget because we are way worse than what we think we are. If you have a hard time coming up with sin in your life, it's because you're blinded to the fact that it is there, prevalent in your thoughts, prevalent in your words, prevalent in your deeds, prevalent in your actions. For yes, yes, we have been saved by grace, but the Bible declares that for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and sin is there. Our need was great. And that's why grace had to be greater. Romans chapter 5 verse number 20 says it this way. Moreover, the law entered that the offense might abound. You see, we know our sin by the law. It is that schoolmaster which brings us to salvation, which exposes our infirmities, which exposes our unrighteousness, tells us all the things that we have done wrong. But as the verse in Romans continues, Romans 5.20 says that, yes, the law entered that the offense might abound. But then it says, but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. And we are gathered here because grace is infinite. It knows no limitations. It knows no bounds. It cannot be exhausted. There is an eternal resource in the cauldron of grace that God can dispense to all mankind if they would come to Him and repent and believe and put their faith on the Lord Jesus Christ. All of our lives we stand at the cash register of sin and we swipe our card every action that is opposed to the will of God. Every word, every thought, every deed. And yes, it is appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgment. And one day we will see the depravity of our hearts and the wickedness of our sin like a tally at the cash register. and the cost is great. But there is one who came with the card of grace, purchased on the cross of Calvary, and he has made an offer to give us the gift of eternal life, the gift of grace, for that is what grace is. It is a gift of God, not that we have earned, but that he has paid for, and that gift is infinite. You know, that's why he says go into all the world and preach the gospel, because it is God's will that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come into repentance. He is the propitiation for our sins, but not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world. You see, there is enough grace in the riches of Christ Jesus to pay for it all. Oh, I despise this doctrine of limited atonement, for the atonement of Jesus Christ is not limited, but it is rich in grace for all who will believe. And that's why the Apostle Paul is able to say, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that he is not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. You see, this is a gospel of infinite grace. Not only is it a gospel of infinite grace, but this is a gospel of infinite power. Of infinite power. On the side of The auditorium here on each side before the doors, we've placed tracts which have the gospel on them. This one, are you 100% sure? And then on the back of it, it has verses that guide men in truth. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternal life. Can I confess to you this morning? I have felt so sheepish sometimes. Here, I've got something for you. And they look at it, and they look at me, and they get that look on their face, and I get this look on my face. Okay, maybe it's not that bad. But there have been times where we've gotten, you know, stacks of tracts and put them on doors and put them on doors and put them on doors and put them on doors and think, is that ever, is that ever going to bring forth fruit? And we forget how powerful the gospel is. It is infinitely, no limitation, no end, powerful. Several years ago, there was a man that began to attend the church. He found a track laying on the ground beside a gas pump, picked it up and it changed his life. It wasn't the track, it was God. It was the gospel of Jesus Christ. Oh, there were two sisters that I sat down with at their kitchen table, and their life was dramatically changed. It wasn't me. It was the power of the gospel. It was the gospel of Jesus Christ. Oh, there's this little boy sitting down at the kitchen table, five years old, five years old, and ignorant, know nothing. And I mean it. I was five. You think five-year-olds know stuff? No, they don't, especially this one, especially this one. Oh, but what I learned that day was powerful enough to change my life, to forgive me of my sins, to place me in the family of God, to justify me, a wicked, sinful, lying, rebellious little runt and to reconcile that puny little weakling with a powerful holy God, because the power of God is in the gospel to everyone that believes, to the five-year-old boy, to the 90-year-old man, to the wicked sinner, and it changes lives. Oh, you see, the religious crowd of the day, they were familiar with the power of God. They had seen miracles and they believed in miracles. And in the New Testament, it was understood that there were prophets who would come and do mighty miracles. They remembered Elijah. They believed that he could stand on top of a mountain and pray fire down. They believed in Elisha. They heard the story and believed that he had once brought the widow's son back to life. Yes, they believed in Moses that they could raise a rod and by the power of God a Red Sea would be parted. But there came a day when there was another prophet, a rabbi. a teacher from this town in Nazareth who made his way down into Capernaum. And on that particular day, he placed himself in a house and began to teach and preach. And the crowds began to gather around and no one could get through for the press. And there was a man that was sick of the palsy. who couldn't get through the crowd, nor could he even walk, so he had four friends bear him up on a stretcher, and you know the story. They climb up onto the roof of the house, and they pull the thing apart, and they lower their friend down, hoping with great faith and expectation that this prophet, that this man has the power to heal him. And Jesus looks at this man, And the Bible says in Mark chapter number two that when Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, he said, son, thy sins be forgiven. where they shocked all those that were present, no doubt. For this man, sick of the palsy, I imagine that there were some in the crowd that looked at it and not understanding the true value of salvation crossed their arms thinking, well why didn't he minister to his real need? Friends, let me tell you this, we ought to continue to pray for those that are sick, and pray for healing, and pray for those that are recovering, and see the hand of God. The Bible does say that there's healing in His wings, and we ought to go to the great physician because He is able. But let's never lose focus. There is a greater need, even greater than our own physical health, greater than our own security, greater than the stability of this nation. And the greatest need of all is that man receives the remedy for their sin and be forgiven by the infinite grace of God. Jesus looks down at this man's son by sins be forgiven. I imagine there were some. Why didn't he minister to his real need? But there was another group there. A group of scribes, a group of Pharisees that with great condensation had looked at him and said, who is this man that thinks he has the ability to forgive sins? And Jesus, the Bible tells us, in Mark chapter 2, as He heard them reasoning in their hearts, the Bible says that there is a reply in Mark chapter 2, verse 7, Who can forgive sin but God only? And immediately when Jesus perceived in His Spirit that they so reason within themselves he said unto them why reason ye these things in your hearts whether it is easier to say to the sick of the palsy thy sins be forgiven thee or to say arise and take up thy bed and walk but that ye may know that the son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins he saith unto the sick of palsy I say unto thee arise take up thy bed and go thy way into the house. And this man was gloriously healed. He takes up his bed, he rolls it up and he walks out of there. But the greater lesson here is not that Jesus can heal a body, not that God can restore health, but the greatest lesson is that God has the infinite power to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That's why when we look at the Bible and explore this nature of salvation, when we receive forgiveness of sins, He doesn't just clean us up, He makes us a new creature. He doesn't just forgive our past, He wipes it away and He buries it in the depths of the sea and He separates it as far as the east is from the west. And this grace of God, this infinite power of salvation, can change a man's soul. Oh, one of Satan's most terrible tricks is to come into the house of God and convince people that the real value of this gathering is its social interaction. I appreciate our fellowship I appreciate coming together to bear one another's burdens. But there's only one thing that is the ultimate power of God and that is the gospel which is the power of God unto salvation. If you're here this morning and you've never received Christ, you need to understand that there is no excuse not to come to God. So my sin, my sin is too bad. His grace is infinite. Which means His mercy is infinite. That's why it's new every single morning. That's why the Bible says over and over and over in the book of Psalms that His mercy endureth forever. And that's why we continue to pray for the lost. Because this thing called the gospel is powerful. It is sharp. It is capable. It is able. And there may be the vilest sinner that is vexing your life. And maybe you've given up on that prodigal who is so far away from God. And I'm here to remind you that His gospel is infinite. His grace is infinite. His power is infinite. And I'll just leave you with this. He also has infinite compassion. Oh, his love extends forever. And some may say, well, is there really an endless nature to God's love? Yes. So can you prove that from scripture? Well, doesn't 1 John 4, 8 say that God is love? You've heard me make this correlation before. I'll make it again. Love is not something God does. It's something He is. It does not say that God does love. It does not say that He acts lovingly. What it says is that God is love and He cannot betray nor change from what He is. He is perfect love. He is continuous love. He is unconditional love. He is that agape love. In that, why do we love Him? Why? Because He first loved us and His gospel is driven by His love. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Think about the measure of His love, even in that statement in John 3, 16. That God's love is measured by what God gave to purchase the object of His love. And He gave His only begotten Son. Oh, how rich. Oh, how endless. Oh, how infinite is His love. which is why the Bible tells us in Romans chapter eight, verse number 38, that I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. So while God doesn't love me, don't believe the lie. Either we are going to live by His Word or we're not. And when I look at His Word, I see the power of God unto salvation. And I notice the next two words, to everyone. As I quoted earlier, God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come into repentance. Unfortunately, that does not mean that all will. But what I believe it does mean is that all can. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. And I know that there's a work of the Holy Spirit that reveals His word and convicts our hearts. If you're here this morning and you're wondering, are you saved? Can you be saved? Then take that as an indication of the Holy Spirit of God that He's bringing conviction into your heart and open your eyes to the infinite gospel, which is able to save your soul. And come unto Him. Look unto Him and be saved. And if you're here and it's been a long time since you bowed your knee to Him and received Christ as your Savior, then let's be reminded that what saved you back then still keeps you right now because it was infinite, infinite in its grace. Infinite, infinite in its power. and infinite in its love. and let's rest in Him. There never has to be anything in the life of the believer that stays in between you and God. For if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father. And this advocate is a mediator which stands between us and the Father that we can come to Him. And if we confess our sins, He is faithful and He is just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all. Why all? Because it's infinite. Cleanses from all unrighteousness. And I beg you to come unto Him this morning.