Pastor opens with a review of the outline for Romans:
-- Salutation (1:1-17)
-- Sin (1:18-3:20) - Talks about the destructive nature of sin and how it corrupts
-- Salvation (3:21-5:21) - God's gift by grace received through faith and anchored in Jesus
-- Sanctification (6:1-8:39) - God sets us apart for a purpose as we walk by faith and asks us to participate in living more and more reflecting His character through the power of the Holy Spirit. No longer dominated by sin, yet an ongoing struggle to grow in faith. "Thanks be to God who gives us the victory in Christ." "We are set free from the law of sin and death." "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." God does not condemn - the enemy does. Jesus and the Holy Spirit convict us. Law and sin and death are behind us because we have the principle of life and light leading us. Pastor picks up with chapter 8 which lays out where the power comes from, how God works, what He desires to do and gives hope, encouragement and peace.

The final victory is certain!! We are to live governed by the Spirit. If we're trying to live life in our own power and plan it's not going to work, but when we are lead by the Holy Spirit it changes everything. Today's christian church needs to recapture the understanding of living and walking in the Holy Spirit and in God's strength instead of our own strength and our own decisions and plans.

We need to unlearn what the enemy has planted in us. In the Holy Spirit, we find power and strength to walk in and with the Spirit. Humbly come to God, walk by faith, rely on Him, trust on Him and receive the assurance of things unseen.

He teaches us lessons, strengthens us and shows us His goodness and nearness through difficulties. Pastor shares a personal testimony about the hard and difficult and painful things and how looking back over those experiences, he sees how God's faithfulness and goodness carried him through and as time has gone by how he sees that through the challenges and God's help, he is different person. Pastor shares how through faith and these sanctified experiences he has become assured that God will keep His word even in future difficulties.

God will take it all and turn it for good even in the face of difficulty, disappointment and profound hurt and even in the face of death because we can be confident that He has conquered that already. Live in the truth and rely on the truth. Because of Messiah, God is on our side! We are more than conquerors through the One who loves us. Nothing can separate us from God's love for us through Christ Jesus. And so our desire is to live as dedicated followers of Christ.

-- Sovereignty (9:1-11:36) - God does not abandon His children even when they abandon Him. God's graciousness extends to the Jewish people. There is a faithful remnant of His chosen people and He has a plan for that remnant. They do not see Christ as the culmination of the law and whether Jew or Gentile, salvation only comes through God's mercy and grace. Jesus is God come to earth.
Chapter 11 - tells us that God has not rejected His people who He foreknew. They have not stumbled beyond recovery, but it has opened salvation to the Gentiles and we await their understanding that Jesus is the Lord and Savior. There is a day when they will return and we see this beginning to happen. In 1966 there were around 2000 jewish people in the world who believed that Jesus was their Messiah. In 1967 - the Six Day War in Israel and the Middle East - the Jewish people gained control of Jerusalem. And since then the number of believing Jews is now close to 500,000 and it is accelerating!

-- Service (12:1-16:27) We are to live for Him. Because of how good and gracious God has been we are called to surrender to Him and to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to Him. This is how we worship Him. Love is to be sincere. We are to overcome evil with good.
Pastor closes with Romans 13:13-14 - Clothing ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Join us next week for our study of 1 Corinthians.

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