Alright, Romans chapter 1 and verse 8. Now Paul gives kind of a personal message concerning himself to the Roman believers. Verse 8, First I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. Now, very often the apostles and people of that day would speak of the whole world as the Roman Empire, all the way over to England, Spain, into Saudi Arabia, into Babylon. They didn't know where the rest of the world was, but in terms of that huge chunk that was known, this was the whole world. And this is a very important statement. We wouldn't say that the gospel probably went to Hawaii or Alaska, but it did cover the known world as understood in that day. But please notice something. Notice how important that is. Because Rome was so important, and all roads led to Rome, that indeed the faith of the believers there in Rome was spread throughout. Down the roads, down the lanes, from city to city, from nation to nation. And we know if not during the time of Paul, certainly shortly after, the gospel went all the way to England and Scotland and Wales, into the Black Forest of Germany, into Gaul or France, all the way up to Scandinavia. The gospel really spread rapidly and throughout the known world. Again, much of it coming from Rome, because Rome was so important, and again, all roads led to Rome. So many people would make commerce to Rome, back and forth, traveling. And so the believers in Rome were very important. Now remember, God is doing this. This is the plan of God. This is the workings of the Lord, to spread the gospel rapidly. And there was a vacuum. There was a vacuum going on, and people who had any kind of thinking at all were beginning to repudiate the gods. The average person, the average little peasant, still believed in the gods, even though they were educated to a certain degree. But many people were questioning the gods, and so a spiritual vacuum had begun. For God, whom I serve in my spirit, in the proclaiming of the good news about His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you." And you know Paul tells almost all the churches that he wrote to that he constantly prayed for them. And I believe that was absolutely true. I think the Apostle Paul loved the people he was working with, the people he brought to Christ. He had them in mind, he knew them personally. And so on one hand, Paul is a great doctrinal teacher. On another hand, Paul really, really cared for people, cared for them individually. Always in my prayers, making requests, and perhaps now at last, by the will of God, I may succeed in coming to you. He wanted to get to Rome. And of course he did. He ended up going to Rome to make his appeal to Caesar concerning his citizenship and the fact that he was being maligned by the Jews and he wanted to defend himself before Caesar. And he ended up in Rome. There is a big argument, did Paul, was he released in Rome? and then traveled about and then was arrested again and brought back to Rome a second time? Or is his one-time arrest, his house arrest, in the Praetorium, which was the military base in Rome, was he only arrested one time and then killed? Or did he have, was he arrested twice and brought back to Rome two times? We don't know for sure. For I long to see you in order that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established, that you may be made firm, that you may be, the Greek word is steroids, we get the word steroids from that, that you might get strong, that you might be made firm and strong and unmovable. I want you to be strong. You know, God wants us to be strong. It's very possible that we can be such slushy, whiny Christians instead of having strength and strong Christians. I admire the Scottish and the people of Wales because they live up the northern climes of the British Isles and that stern, strong, Scottish, Presbyterian, Calvinistic belief Those people went around the world as medical doctors, as missionaries, as evangelists, and they were strong folks. The first time I went overseas, went to Israel, I had a choice of two stops when I came back without any extra charge. And so coming back from Israel, it was the 1st of September, it was hot in Israel, 110 degrees. I got off the plane in London, and I said, I'm going straight to Scotland. And so I got on Caledonia Air and went up to Inverness, Scotland, rented a Volkswagen. And yes, I was small enough to get in a Volkswagen in those days, 1970, and toured Scotland. And it was first September, it was sleeting in the windows. I stayed in bed and breakfasts in people's homes, and you could have done brain surgery on the floor. The houses were so clean. The hail was hitting the windows and I had to buy a thick, heavy coat. I drove all the way to the top of Scotland to a place called John O'Groats. From John O'Groats, from there it's the Arctic. So I went all the way to John O'Groats in his Volkswagen and I loved the Scottish people. Strong, Presbyterian, Scottish, gunny. No whining in their Christianity. And I greatly admire the Scottish. So Paul wants these people to be serizo, to have steroids, spiritual steroids. He wants them to be strong, firm, unmovable. Verse 12, that is, that I may be encouraged together with you. Paul wants them as spiritual companions. I want to, together, we are marching forward with the gospel. That I may be encouraged together with you, while among you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine. You know, Paul is an apostle, but he's not lauding it over these people. He's not saying I'm better than you. In fact, the opposite. Paul's testimony in 2 Corinthians, he shows himself as one who's the greatest of sinners. And Paul had companionship with the churches and the other believers. And he did not lord it over them. He saw that they could encourage him as he encouraged them. Verse 13, I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that often I plan to come to you and have prevented thus far in order that I might obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles. I am under obligation. I am under obligation. Look at this. This is incredible. I am under obligation. I am bound to both the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. Look at the extremes in verse 14. The ultimate of the Gentile world was the Greeks. The Greeks were admired by the Romans. The Greeks were writers and poets and they were artists and sculptors. and the Greeks were greatly admired. And Alexander the Great had pushed the Greek frontier out and had established Greece as so important. And so he uses the ultimate of the Gentiles, the highest point of the Gentiles, the Greeks. Then he goes to the bottom. the barbarians, to the people who wear bear skins and carry clubs, to the barbarians. By the way, the barbarians, when they said barbarians, they thought of two different people. The Germans of the Black Forest of Germany, and they thought of the Ostergoths, the Eastern Goths of Russia, and the steppes of Russia and of China. These were the pagan, pagan, pagan people. And that's what Paul would be addressing or discussing. And then to the wise and to the foolish. To those who have wisdom and those who are moronic. The Greek word is moronic. They're morons. Thus, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel. By the way, verse 15 should probably better read, to preach the gospel among you. He's not preaching it to them in order that they might get saved. He's writing to save believers. But I preach the good news among you also who are at Rome. I will come into your presence and use you as a base from which I would also preach and proclaim the gospel. That was his desire. For I am not ashamed of the good news of the gospel. By the way, that expression is I am not emotionally ashamed of the gospel. I'm not emotionally ashamed. He uses a Greek word that actually has the word psuche, the soul, the emotions. I'm not emotionally ashamed of the gospel. For it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. My next book is titled, To the Jew First. I'm using this verse, To the Jew First. to the Jew first. It's time to return the truth, the gospel to the Jews, to the Jew first. And as you all know, you hear me talk about it, you hear Jeff Gutterman talk about it, God is moving among the Jews. He is restoring the Jews. So while we're in troubled times socially, and we see this country warping to the left, God has begun his work again with the Jewish people. And you and I should rejoice over that. Now here's why he is not ashamed of the gospel. Verse 17. Very important. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed. In the gospel is the righteousness of God revealed. And then the next line, from faith to faith, is kind of like a waterfall. The water is falling down from one cataract to the other. The faith is tumbling on top of faith, and more faith, and faith on top of faith. Just faith and faith. For in the gospel is the righteousness of God revealed. Now what does he mean by that? Let me explain. How will I get to heaven? If I die, Tonight, I go into the very presence of God, absent from the body, present with the Lord. How do I get there? God will see on me, on my account, His, on me, applied to me, His very righteousness, equal to the righteousness of God. Now, wait a minute. Am I Malcouch, as righteous of God? I am not. But I'm connected to Christ, who is the Son of God. And so I partake of His righteousness. That's in the Gospel. The Gospel is proclaiming that for me to enter Heaven, I've got to present, or have on my account, the very perfection, the very holiness, the very righteousness of God. I can't self-generate that. It's Christ's righteousness that comes when I accept Him as Savior. He is the Soter. The Greek word is Soter. By the way, the Caesars were called the Saviors. They were the Soters. And Christ is a Soter. He is a Savior. He rescues us from hell. because he gives to us his righteousness. So when I enter the gates of heaven, God says, come in now, you have on, wearing like a coat, you have my righteousness applied to you or given to you It comes from my Son. You accepted Him, the good news of personal salvation. You accepted Him as your Soter, your Savior, and I put on you my righteousness, i.e., the righteousness of my Son. That's the only way you're going to get into glory. That's it. And so this is why Paul cannot be emotionally torn up about the Gospel. Because it's the power of God for salvation. Because it gives to us the very righteousness of God put to our account. Put to my bank account. And that's what God sees. He does not see my sins. My sins went on to Jesus Christ. And then he died a cruel death carrying my sins under what? The wrath of God. The wrath of God fell on him because he was carrying all of my sins and your sins. And God was furious. The wrath of God. The anger of God. The Greek word is arge. We get the word orgastic from. Orgasm from. God is furious at my sins. And he placed them on his son. And so they're off of me. He placed the sins of the world on his son. But if a person does not accept that, if he does not accept that transaction, then he will be seen dying in his own sins. And those sins would not have been paid for because he didn't accept the sacrifice and the work of Christ at the cross. Now look at it again, verse 17. For in the gospel, in it, is the righteousness of God revealed. The Greek word is apocalypto. That is the removal of the veil. The removal of the veil from the tumbling of just faith on top of faith. That's the only way. The only way you're going to get this is faith on top of faith, faith on top of faith. As it is written, the last part of verse 17 is very important. Stare at it. This comes from Haggai chapter 2. Book of Haggai. But the righteous man, here's what it should read. shall be living, we can say day by day, every day, when you wake up in the morning, the man who is counted righteous, considered righteous by God, is every day living by faith. Living by faith. That's the only way you and I can be living. When we accept Christ, the only way we can walk around this world, this life, is to be living by faith. And that's what should better read. But the righteous man, the man who's been declared righteous, now look up here a second. This does not mean that I necessarily will be seen every day doing righteous acts. He's not talking about righteous acts. He's talking about a declaration of righteousness. A declaration. God declares me righteous. Why? Because I'm in His Son. I'm in His Son. So God has to bang the gavel. He says, I declare from my legal podium, I declare Malkiach as a righteous man. But Malkiach may do unrighteous works. I'm going to fail tomorrow. But he sees me in the category, the category of a righteous man. God put upon me the category of righteousness. And he declares me as righteous as himself, i.e. as his son. So, therefore, every day how can I be living, walking about living? By faith. That's all God. No other way. by trust. I have trusted Christ as Savior. Now on one hand, you cannot get anything more simple and easy than that. On the other hand, it's one of the most difficult issues in the world because it cost Jesus the most cruel death one could have imagined, and yet he was the most righteous man who ever walked the earth. And number two, because of the tenacity of sin, people don't want to accept Christ as Savior. They don't want to have anything to do with Him. That's what Psalm 2 says, by the way. Psalm 2 says, the world says, no, no, no. We don't want to have anything to do with God. We don't want to have anything to do with His Son. No way. And so you want to know why the world is so rotten? You want to know why I don't put my faith in the world? You want to know why I don't expect things to turn around with an exploding number of unsaved people in America? And by the way, believing people are shrinking and unsaved people are expanding and people who are atheists are growing like crazy in America. More and more atheists. 80% in Denmark are atheists. And put our faith in people like that? Trust that? Our founding fathers didn't do that. They mentioned the Word of God in all of the charters of all the colonies that were formed in America. They had something to say about the Bible, about God. Every charter done by every colony. They said, we better put this forward. We better set this forth because you can't trust people. You can't trust the king and you can't trust human beings. I don't think we fully grasp what God did by isolating isolating the Calvinists and the Puritans and the Lutherans and the Calvinists who came to this country. He isolated these people by the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. He isolated us, kept us from all the turmoil and hatred and cruelty of Europe. The things that were going on in Europe just make you gag. War after war after war, torture after torture after torture, city after city destroyed. And by the way, how did the corruption begin in America? World War I. When the soldiers came back from World War I, they got a good taste of all the sin of Europe. And they imported back, and the flappers came along, and the booze came along, and the promiscuity came along, and America began to change after World War II, the flapper era of the 20s. That began to change in America. and America would then slowly, progressively get worse and worse and worse. Alright, how should we be living? We have only one way to live by the fact that we are made righteous by God because we're connected to His righteous Son, Jesus Christ. That's the essence of the Gospel. That's what Paul says in verse 17 in the Gospel, for in it is the righteousness of God. In the Gospel, It contains how you get righteousness. Now look up here. You don't earn it. You don't work for it. You can't buy it. You accept it by trust. And then every day you live by trust. You live by trust. There's no other way to live. Okay? I hope I don't make you depressed, the things I talked about earlier. I hope I make you sober. Because God, we know the last chapter. And we don't know what's going to happen to us the next 5-10 years. But we know the last chapter. God is going to have the last say. And it's going to be a spiritual thing. God is going to... Well, in fact, look at verse 18. We're stopping right now. But 18, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness. As this nation turns more and more ungodly, and it's going to, I'll assure you, the minorities do not understand how this nation was formed. They never will understand. This is part of my problem, just opening the gates and say every minority wants to just come on, come on all y'all, just come on all you want to. Because they do not understand how this nation was formed. They have no concept of the Christianity that this nation was formed. I'm going to ask you Sunday morning, get ready. I'm going to poke you in the ribs if you read the first two chapters. Because if you want to know what's going on with Obama and everybody else, it has to do with those two chapters, how this nation was formed. Any quick questions? Our time is gone. Any fast things you want to add or ask a question on? Yes, Ron? Additional little thought here is how verse 4 and verse 16 bring out the power. You know, we always wonder about this, I guess, in a way. But, you know, He declared, Jesus has declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead. And then in 16 it says, He's not ashamed of God for the gospel is the power of God for salvation. And it's all about the resurrection. And I just think it's kind of how that intertwines. I would probably say that. Absolutely. And then the resurrection is part and parcel of the gospel. I mean, what a miracle of the resurrection of Christ. And then he passes that on to us. That is, we're going to be resurrected because he was resurrected. We have that guarantee. All right, any final question or anything? All right, let's close in prayer. Father, we take for granted, Lord, the gospel. We take for granted all your blessings upon us. Some of this may be coming short because even we have participated in not doing necessarily what we should have done for this nation, not being appreciative enough for this country. And so we cannot claim innocence. And Lord, we pray for our nation. We pray for what may happen to us spiritually, Even physically, we don't know. We just don't know. But Lord, we have your word to fall back on. We have your promises, and we know that things will not get better. You've told us in your word it will grow worse. And you've told us that an apostasy will come, and I personally believe we're there already. But touch our hearts and our minds, and make us strong inside. And don't let us be afraid, but let us be sober and concerned and grieving. We can grieve, Lord, because we have been the beneficiaries so much of your blessings. Thank you for the Lord Jesus, our Savior. In his name we pray, amen.