<i>♪ MUSIC ♪</i> >> WELCOME TO <i>GOSPEL TRUTH</i> WITH ANDREW WOMMACK, A TEACHING MINISTRY THAT FOCUSES ON GOD'S >> UNCONDITIONAL
LOVE AND GRACE. >> EVERY PERSON THAT HAS EVER BREATHED ON THIS PLANET KNOWS THAT THERE IS A GOD, THAT THEY HAVE COME SHORT OF WHAT HE WANTS THEM TO BE, AND THAT THERE IS AN IMPENDING JUDGMENT AGAINST THEIR SINS. THAT’S WHAT ROMANS 1:18 >> THROUGH 20 IS SAYING. >> AND NOW, HERE’S ANDREW. WELCOME TO OUR MONDAY'S BROADCAST OF <i>THE GOSPEL TRUTH,</i> AND TODAY I'M GOING TO START TEACHING THROUGH THE BOOK OF ROMANS. I HAVE BEEN EXCITED ABOUT THIS FOR A LONG TIME BECAUSE I HAVEN'T TAUGHT THIS FOR A LONG TIME. THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS TO TEACH AND WE HAVE A BRAND
-NEW PRODUCT. WE HAVE TAKEN MY <i>LIVING COMMENTARY</i> NOTES ON THE BOOK OF ROMANS, AND I MEAN, THERE'S HUNDREDS OF THEM. THERE'S PROBABLY OVER A THOUSAND FOOTNOTES, PLUS MY TEACHING THAT I'VE DONE, AND WE'VE COMBINED THOSE INTO A BOOK. AND THIS IS A BRAND-NEW PRODUCT. MATTER OF FACT, IT'S SO BRAND-NEW WE DON'T HAVE IT AT THIS TIME. I'M MAKING THESE PROGRAMS LIKE, THREE MONTHS BEFORE YOU SEE THEM AIRED. BY THE TIME THIS PROGRAM IS AIRED ON OUR TELEVISION PROGRAMS, WE WILL HAVE THE BOOK. BUT THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS TO TEACH ON. WE'VE ENTITLED THIS TEACHING, <i>ROMANS: PAUL'S MASTERPIECE</i> <i>ON GRACE,</i> AND I TELL YOU, ROMANS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS. I BELIEVE I COULD MAKE THIS STATEMENT, THAT IF ROMANS ISN'T ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE BOOKS, THEN YOU DO NOT HAVE A REVELATION OF THE TRUE GOSPEL. NOW THAT NEEDS A LOT OF EXPLANATION AND I'M GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT THIS, BUT I TELL YOU, THIS IS A POWERFUL, POWERFUL BOOK. I'M NOT GOING TO BE TEACHING EXACTLY VERSE BY VERSE THROUGH THE BOOK OF ROMANS, BECAUSE THAT WOULD JUST BE... IT WOULD...IT WOULD STRETCH FOR SIX MONTHS. I'M GOING TO BE GOING THROUGH AND SUMMARIZING, BUT I'M GOING TO BE TAKING A LOT OF THE BOOK OF ROMANS. I WOULD SAY THE MAJORITY OF IT WILL BE READING AND TALKING ABOUT. AND I TELL YOU, THIS IS POWERFUL. WHEN I FIRST GOT REALLY TURNED ON TO THE LORD IN 1968, WHEN I HAD THIS ENCOUNTER WITH THE LORD, IT WAS DURING THAT SAME SUMMER OF 1968, THAT I WAS AT A MEETING AND I HEARD A MAN SAY THAT IF YOU COULD UNDERSTAND THE FIRST EIGHT OR NINE CHAPTERS OF THE
BOOK OF ROMANS, IT WOULD CAUSE YOU TO BE A MATURE CHRISTIAN, AND I REMEMBER THAT STUCK OUT TO ME AND SO I STARTED STUDYING THIS, I MEAN, SERIOUSLY STUDYING THE BOOK OF ROMANS IN 1968, AND I WOULD VENTURE TO SAY IT WAS AT LEAST 10 YEARS OR MAYBE 15 YEARS BEFORE I FELT LIKE I GOT A REVELATION OF IT. AND WHAT I MEAN BY REVELATION, I HAD KNOWLEDGE, BUT IT JUST DIDN'T REALLY IMPART THE TRUTH THAT PAUL WAS TRYING TO GET ACROSS FOR AT LEAST 10 OR 15 YEARS. AND I'M STILL LEARNING. I'M NOT SAYING THAT I'VE GOT IT ALL FIGURED OUT YET, BUT THIS HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT GOD HAS SPOKEN TO ME. AND I TELL YOU, IF IT AFFECTS YOU THE WAY THAT IT HAS AFFECTED ME, I BELIEVE THAT THIS COULD BE JUST TOTALLY LIFE-TRANSFORMING. IT REALLY IS THAT POWERFUL. THIS IS GOING TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF EFFORT BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO BE GOING THROUGH NEARLY VERSE BY VERSE, AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO PLEASE JOIN ME, GO TO OUR WEB SITE, AND...AND GO BACK AND STUDY THESE THINGS, OR GET THE MATERIALS. THIS BRAND-NEW BOOK THAT WE'VE GOT OUT, IT IS GOING TO BE A POWERFUL STUDY GUIDE FOR YOU TO BE ABLE TO GET HOLD OF THESE TRUTHS. SO I ENCOURAGE YOU TO PUT SOME EFFORT INTO THIS BECAUSE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT. THE BOOK OF ROMANS, OF COURSE, WAS WRITTEN BY THE APOSTLE PAUL TO THE ROMANS. PAUL HAD NOT BEEN TO ROME AT THIS TIME, BUT HE WAS WRITING TO THEM. IT'S VERY CLEAR. THERE'S NUMEROUS INSTANCES IN THE BOOK OF ROMANS WHERE PAUL IS REVEALED TO BE THE AUTHOR. THE VERY FIRST VERSE, IT SAYS, PAUL, A SERVANT OF JESUS CHRIST, CALLED TO BE AN APOSTLE, SEPARATED UNTO THE GOSPEL OF GOD. SO FROM THE VERY FIRST VERSE, PAUL MAKES IT CLEAR THAT HE'S THE WRITER. THE FIRST NUMBER
OF VERSES HERE ARE KIND OF
INTRODUCTORY VERSES. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT STAND OUT IS IN VERSE 8, WHERE HE SAYS, FIRST, I THANK MY GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST FOR YOU ALL, THAT YOUR FAITH IS SPOKEN OF THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE WORLD. NOW THIS IS AN AMAZING STATEMENT. YOU KNOW, TODAY IF YOU WERE TO GO TO A CITY SOMEPLACE AND SEE A CHURCH THERE AND YOU...AND YOU GO IN AND SAY, YOUR FAITH IS SPOKEN OF THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE WORLD, THERE'S VERY, VERY
FEW CHURCHES THAT THAT WOULD BE APPLICABLE TO THEM BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, EVEN ACROSS THE STREET, IN THE NEXT BLOCK, SOMETIMES IN THE SAME TOWN, THOSE CHURCHES HAVEN'T EVEN MADE AN IMPACT ON THINGS. BUT THIS CHURCH IN ROME HAD MADE AN IMPACT ON THE ENTIRE WORLD. THEIR FAITH HAD BEEN SPOKEN OF THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE WORLD. SO THAT GIVES YOU SOME DEGREE OF UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THESE PEOPLE AND THAT THEY HAD RECEIVED THE GOSPEL. THERE WAS A MIXTURE OF GENTILES AND JEWS IN THIS CHURCH IN ROME, BUT AS WE WILL SEE AS WE GO THROUGH THIS BOOK, THE JEWS HAD
BEGUN TO INFLUENCE THESE NEW BELIEVERS IN JESUS TO GO BACK UNDER THE LAW AND TO HAVE TO OBSERVE ALL OF THE JEWISH LAWS AND THINGS. YOU KNOW, CHRISTIANITY IS AN OUTGROWTH OF JUDAISM. OF COURSE, THE OLD TESTAMENT WAS WRITTEN PRIMARILY TO GOD'S COVENANT
PEOPLE, THE JEWS, AND THE LAW... WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT THE LAW A LOT AS WE GO THROUGH THE BOOK OF ROMANS. THE LAW WAS GIVEN TO THE JEWS. ROMANS, CHAPTER 3, VERSE 19, SAYS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT THE LAW SPEAKS TO THOSE TO WHOM IT WAS WRITTEN. IT WASN'T EVEN INTENDED FOR THE GENTILES. IT WAS WRITTEN TO THE JEWS. AND WHEN THE MESSIAH CAME, JESUS, THE MESSIAH, OF COURSE, MANY OF THE JEWS CONVERTED. A LOT OF THE JEWS REJECTED IT. AS A WHOLE, THE JEWISH NATION
REJECTED JESUS AS THEIR MESSIAH AND THE GOSPEL PASSED ON UNTO THE GENTILES. AND SO, THE GENTILES, FOR THE LAST 2,000 YEARS HAVE REALLY BEEN THE ONES THAT HAVE BEEN CARRYING THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND PRESENTING IT AND BRINGING THESE TRUTHS TO THE WORLD, BUT IT WAS AN OUTGROWTH OF JUDAISM. AND THEREFORE, THERE WERE SOME JEWS WHO HAD BELIEVED ON JESUS WHO WERE TRYING TO MAKE THE NEW
TESTAMENT BELIEVERS GO BACK AND OBSERVE ALL OF THE OLD TESTAMENT LAW, AND THE BOOK OF ROMANS IS WRITTEN SPECIFICALLY TO EXPLAIN THAT THE NEW TESTAMENT IS DIFFERENT THAN THE OLD TESTAMENT. YOU KNOW, FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE, THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE NEW TESTAMENT IS JUST ONE BLANK PAGE IN THEIR BIBLE RIGHT HERE. THEY SEE ALL OF THIS AS ONE THING, BUT THERE ARE MANY THINGS. THE BOOK OF ROMANS IS PAUL'S MASTERPIECE ON GRACE, AND HE'S GOING TO BE COUNTERING A LOT OF THE OLD TESTAMENT IDEAS. HEBREWS DEALS WITH THE SAME THING, AND HEBREWS, WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHO WROTE IT. IT'S NOT SPECIFICALLY STATED. IT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE IT'S THE APOSTLE PAUL, SO I PERSONALLY BELIEVE THAT PAUL IS THE ONE THAT WROTE THE
BOOK OF HEBREWS, BUT WE CAN'T BE SURE ABOUT THAT. PAUL WROTE THE BOOK OF GALATIANS, AND IN THE BOOK OF GALATIANS, HE'S SAYING THE SAME THINGS THAT HE SAYS HERE IN THE BOOK OF ROMANS, BUT IT'S LIKE IN GALATIANS, HE'S...I'M NOT SAYING HE'S ANGRY, BUT HE IS PUT OUT WITH THE LEGALISM THAT THESE PEOPLE HAD GONE INTO AND HE BEGINS TO SAY, IF AN ANGEL...IF ANY... EVEN IF AN ANGEL PREACHES UNTO YOU ANY OTHER GOSPEL THAN WHAT I HAVE PREACHED, LET HIM BE ACCURSED. THAT WAS SUCH A
STRONG STATEMENT THAT I'M SURE PEOPLE WERE SHOCKED, AND SO HE REPEATED IT IN THE NEXT VERSE. HE SAYS, AGAIN I SAY UNTO YOU, IF ANYBODY, EVEN AN ANGEL, PREACHES ANOTHER GOSPEL, LET HIM BE ACCURSED. AND THEN IN GALATIANS, CHAPTER 3, HE SAYS, YOU FOOLISH GALATIANS. ONE OF THE TRANSLATIONS SAYS, YOU STUPID IDIOTS, HOW COULD YOU BE DECEIVED LIKE THIS? HOW COULD YOU START IN GRACE AND EVER GO BACK TO THE LAW? SO THE BOOK OF GALATIANS IS COVERING SOME OF THE SAME THINGS, BUT I MEAN, IT'S GOT AN EDGE ON IT. IT'S IN YOUR FACE, BUT IT IS MAKING SOME OF THESE SAME THINGS. BUT THE BOOK OF ROMANS IS JUST A SCHOLARLY STEP-BY-STEP EXPOSE ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE NEW COVENANT GRACE AND THE OLD COVENANT LAW, AND SO I'LL BE SAYING THESE THINGS MANY DIFFERENT TIMES. PAUL JUST SAID SOME OF THE SAME THINGS OVER AND OVER AND OVER, BUT AS I'VE SAID DURING THIS INTRODUCTION, I BELIEVE THAT ROMANS IS LIKE PAUL'S MASTERPIECE. IT'S LIKE, THIS ISN'T SAID WITH THE SAME EDGE THAT IT WAS SAID IN THE BOOK OF GALATIANS. THIS IS JUST A SCHOLARLY EXPLANATION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT GRACE THAT WE'RE UNDER, AND THEREFORE, THE NEW COVENANT THAT IT BROUGHT IN, A BRAND-NEW WAY OF GOD DEALING WITH US THROUGH MERCY AND...AND GRACE INSTEAD OF LAW BASED ON OUR PERFORMANCE. AND I PROMISE YOU, THAT THE THINGS THAT ARE WRITTEN RIGHT HERE, THEY APPLY TO US JUST AS MUCH TODAY AS THEY DID BACK DURING THE TIME THAT PAUL WROTE IT. I THINK THAT IN PAUL'S DAY THEY WERE PROBABLY EVEN MORE RELIGIOUS AND BOUND BY RELIGIOUS TRADITION THAN WE ARE TODAY, BUT I CAN GUARANTEE, IT'S NOT LIKE WE ARE TOTALLY FREE IN THIS AREA. I BELIEVE THAT THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME TO THE LORD AND THEN GONE TO CHURCH HAVE GOTTEN INVOLVED IN RELIGION AND THEY HAVE A LOT OF THESE PERFORMANCE-BASED MENTALITIES THAT KEEPS US FROM RECEIVING FROM
GOD AND IT CAUSES A LOT OF GUILT AND CONDEMNATION. WE AREN'T WALKING IN THE LIBERTY AND THE FREEDOM THAT GOD INTENDED US TO BECAUSE OF A LOT OF WRONG TEACHING THAT THE BOOK OF ROMANS IS GOING TO SPECIFICALLY DEAL WITH. SO AGAIN, THE FIRST FEW VERSES OF ROMANS, CHAPTER 1, ARE KIND OF INTRODUCTORY. LET ME GO AND START READING AT VERSE 13. HE SAYS, NOW I WOULD NOT HAVE YOU IGNORANT, BRETHREN, THAT OFTENTIMES I PURPOSED TO COME UNTO YOU, (BUT WAS LET HITHERTO,) THAT I MIGHT HAVE SOME FRUIT AMONG YOU ALSO, EVEN AS AMONG OTHER GENTILES. I AM DEBTOR BOTH TO THE GREEKS, AND TO THE BARBARIANS; BOTH TO THE WISE, AND TO THE UNWISE. LET ME JUST SAY HERE THAT WHEN HE'S TALKING ABOUT GREEKS AND BARBARIANS, YOU KNOW, IN THAT DAY THE JEWS CONSIDERED
THEMSELVES THE ONLY PEOPLE OF GOD AND EVERYBODY ELSE A GREEK. THEY ALSO REFER TO THE GREEKS AS GENTILES. THEY CALLED THEM BARBARIANS. AND IN EPHESIANS, CHAPTER 2, THEY WERE ALIENS FROM THE COVENANTS OF GOD, WITHOUT HOPE, STRANGERS IN THIS WORLD. SO ANYWAY, THE WAY WE WOULD SAY THIS TODAY, THIS IS NOT ONLY WRITTEN TO THE RELIGIOUS PEOPLE, THOSE WHO HAVE EMBRACED CHRISTIANITY AND STUFF, BUT HE'S SAYING, I'M A DEBTOR TO EVERYBODY, TO THE CHRISTIANS, TO THE NON-CHRISTIAN, TO THE RELIGIOUS, TO THE NON-RELIGIOUS. YOU NEED TO INTERPRET SOME OF THESE THINGS IN THAT LIGHT TODAY. IN VERSE 15, HE SAYS, SO, AS MUCH AS IN ME IS, I AM READY TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO YOU THAT ARE AT ROME ALSO. AND THEN IN VERSES 16 AND 17, IS I...WHERE I BELIEVE HE REALLY BEGINS TO START GETTING IN TO THE MEAT OF WHAT HE'S WANTING TO SAY, AND WHAT HE'S SAYING RIGHT HERE ISN'T AS SHOCKING TO US AS IT WAS TO THE FIRST CENTURY CHURCH BECAUSE SOME OF THESE WORDS HAVE BECOME CLICHÉS TO US. LIKE IN VERSE 16, HE SAYS, I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. DID YOU KNOW THE WORD GOSPEL TODAY, PEOPLE USE THAT WORD AND APPLY IT TO ALL KINDS OF THINGS. I'VE HEARD P...MINISTERS STAND UP BEFORE AND I MEAN, PREACH AND YELL AND SCREAM, GET RED IN THE FACE, YOU CAN SEE THEIR JUGULAR VEIN STANDING OUT, AND THEY'RE SAYING, YOU'RE A SINNER, YOU'RE GOING TO HELL, AND I MEAN, THEY'LL DRAW THE WORD OUT AND THEY'LL SCREAM AND THEY HAVE THIS GRAVELLY VOICE BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN SCREAMING SO MUCH, AND THEY WILL JUST CONDEMN PEOPLE, YOU'RE GOING TO HELL, YOU'RE GOING TO BURN IN HELL FOREVER, AND THEN THEY'LL SAY, THAT'S THE GOSPEL. SO WE HAVE USED THE TERM GOSPEL NOW TO REFER TO NEARLY ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH CHRISTIANITY. DID YOU KNOW IT IS TRUE THAT THERE IS A HEAVEN AND A HELL, AND IT IS TRUE THAT IF PEOPLE DON'T ACCEPT JESUS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO HELL, BUT IT IS NOT THE GOSPEL, AND I KNOW THAT THIS MAY SHOCK A LOT OF PEOPLE. THE WORD GOSPEL HERE, I'M NOT GOING TO GO INTO ALL OF THE, YOU KNOW, TECHNICALITIES OF THIS. THERE IS A LOT ABOUT THIS I COULD SAY, BUT I THINK THAT I WOULD PROBABLY LOSE MOST PEOPLE. I JUST WANT TO BOIL THIS DOWN TO ITS SIMPLEST TERMS. THE WORD...THE GREEK WORD FOR GOSPEL HERE WAS A RARE WORD THAT WAS VERY SELDOM USED. MATTER OF FACT, ONE OF THE COMMENTARIES THAT I READ ABOUT THIS SAID THAT IN ALL OF THE GREEK LITERATURE... NOW I DON'T KNOW IF THIS MEANS ALL OF THE GREEK LITERATURE OR MAYBE JUST ALL OF THE GREEK LITERATURE THAT THIS COMMENTATOR HAD LOOKED AT, I DON'T KNOW, BUT ANYWAY, IN ALL OF THE GREEK LITERATURE IS WHAT HE SAID, THAT THIS WORD THAT WAS TRANSLATED, GOSPEL, IN THE NEW TESTAMENT WAS ONLY USED TWICE OUTSIDE OF THE BIBLE. IT WAS A RARE WORD. IT LITERALLY MEANS, GOOD NEWS, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY MORE THAN THAT. IT WAS SO RARE THAT THIS WAS A HYPERBOLE. IT WAS AN OVERSTATEMENT. IT WAS AN EXAGGERATION. IT WAS SU... IT WAS SUCH A THING... IT WAS SUCH GOOD NEWS THAT OUTSIDE OF THE BIBLE, NOBODY EVER USED THIS WORD. IT WAS VERY RARE THAT IT WAS USED BECAUSE IN A FALLEN WORLD THERE WAS VERY LITTLE THAT WAS REALLY GOOD NEWS. YEAH, I THINK IT WOULD BE MORE ACCURATE, THIS IS MY OWN DEFINITION, BUT I THINK THAT THE WORD GOSPEL HERE IS REFERRING TO THE NEARLY-TOO-GOOD TO-BE-TRUE NEWS. NOT ONLY GOOD NEWS, BUT I MEAN, SUCH RADICALLY GOOD NEWS THAT THIS IS JUST RARE. IT DOESN'T REALLY APPLY TO ANYTHING EXCEPT WHAT JESUS CAME TO DO FOR US. WHAT JESUS DID FOR US THROUGH HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION AND TAKING OUR SINS IS SO RADICAL THAT I BELIEVE IT IS APPROPRIATE TO SAY THIS IS NEARLY TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE NEWS. SO WHEN PAUL ANNOUNCED RIGHT HERE THAT, I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, DID YOU KNOW TODAY THAT DOESN'T HAVE MUCH IMPACT ON PEOPLE, BECAUSE AGAIN, WE USE GOSPEL TO REFER TO ANYTHING, YOU KNOW, A KNITTING CIRCLE, THE...A MEN'S MEETING, A WOMEN'S MEETING. WE'RE GOING TO COME TOGETHER FOR THE GOSPEL, AND IT MAY NOT EVEN TALK ABOUT WHAT JESUS HAS DONE. WE JUST USE THE WORD GOSPEL TO KIND OF REFER TO ANYTHING THAT IS RELIGIOUS, SPECIFICALLY CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS. BUT IN ITS SIMPLEST TERMS, IT JUST IS TALKING ABOUT A RADICAL GOOD NEWS, SUCH GOOD NEWS THAT IT'S NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. IT'S TOO-GOOD-TO-BE-TRUE-NEWS. AND WHEN PAUL SAID THIS, THE RELIGION OF HIS DAY HA... DIDN'T HAVE ANY GOOD NEWS IN IT. I MEAN, IT WAS OPPRESSIVE, AND AGAIN, I COULD SPEND THE REST OF THIS PROGRAM AND MULTIPLE PROGRAMS TRYING TO AMPLIFY ON THIS, BUT THE RELIGIOUS PEOPLE OF JESUS' DAY WERE SO LEGALISTIC. THEY HAD COUNTED OUT HOW MANY STEPS
YOU COULD TAKE ON A SABBATH DAY. YOU COULDN'T TAKE MORE THAN JUST A PRESCRIBED NUMBER OF STEPS. THAT'S REFERRED TO IN THE GOSPELS WHEN IT SAYS THAT BETHANY WAS A SABBATH DAY'S JOURNEY FROM JERUSALEM. WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT WAS THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF STEPS THAT YOU COULD TAKE. DID YOU KNOW THE PEOPLE THAT WERE CALLED THE ESSENES... NOW, THEY AREN'T MENTIONED BY NAME IN SCRIPTURE, BUT THEY'RE THE PEOPLE THAT LIVED AROUND THE DEAD SEA AND THEY'RE THE ONES THAT WROTE THE
DEAD SEA SCROLLS. THEY WERE SUCH A STRICT, I MEAN, OPPRESSIVE RELIGIOUS ORDER THAT YOU COULDN'T DO HARDLY ANYTHING. THEY...YOU WERE JUST CONSTANTLY BEING CONDEMNED OVER THE WAY YOU HAD DONE THINGS, AND IT... WITH THESE ESSENES, IT'S ACTUALLY IN THEIR WRITINGS THAT YOU COULDN'T HAVE A BOWEL MOVEMENT ON THE SABBATH DAY FROM SUNDOWN FRIDAY UNTIL SUNDOWN SATURDAY. IT WAS AGAINST THE LAW, THEIR LAW, FOR YOU TO HAVE A BOWEL MOVEMENT. I MEAN, THEY HAD SUCH STRICT RELIGIOUS THINGS. YOU REMEMBER THAT THE DISCIPLES WALKED THROUGH
THE GRAIN FIELDS AND THEY TOOK SOME GRAIN AND RUBBED IT IN THEIR HANDS AND ATE THE GRAIN AND THEY SAID, YOU'RE BREAKING THE SABBATH. THEY ACCUSED JESUS OF BREAKING THE SABBATH WHEN HE HEALED PEOPLE ON THE SABBATH DAY. THEY JUST HAD ALL OF THESE RITUALS AND LAWS. AND SO ANYWAY, THE POINT IS THAT THERE WAS NO GOOD NEWS IN THAT. YOU WERE JUST CONSTANTLY BEING TOLD, YOU'RE WRONG HERE, YOU'RE WRONG THERE. YOU CAN'T DO ENOUGH, AND IT WAS A LA... A MINISTRY OF CONDEMNATION. I'M GOING TO Y...DEAL WITH THESE SCRIPTURES MORE AS WE GO THROUGH THIS, BUT IN 2 CORINTHIANS, CHAPTER 3, IT CALLS THE LAW, WHICH THE BOOK OF ROMANS IS TO GET US TRANSITIONED OUT OF THE OLD TESTAMENT LAW INTO THE NEW TESTAMENT GRACE, AND 2 CORINTHIANS, CHAPTER 3, VERSE 7, I BELIEVE IT IS, CALLS THE LAW A MINISTRATION OF DEATH. VERSE 9, CALLS IT A MINISTRATION OF CONDEMNATION. AND IT WAS JUST CONDEMNATION, GUILT. IT WAS CONSTANTLY POINTING OUT YOU'RE WRONG. SO IN THE RELIGIOUS SYSTEM OF PAUL'S DAY, THERE WAS VERY LITTLE, IF ANY, GOOD NEWS. IT WAS OPPRESSIVE, AND FOR PAUL TO COME ALONG AND SAY, I'M NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL, THAT WORD WASN'T
COMMON TO THEM. HE WAS SAYING, I'M NOT ASHAMED OF THE NEARLY-TOO-GOOD-TO-BE-TRUE NEWS THAT JESUS
PAID EVERYTHING. AND IT'S NOT BASED ON MY PERFORMANCE ANYMORE. I TELL YOU, WHEN PAUL SAID THIS, THIS WAS RADICAL. WOULD TO GOD... I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS, AND I WISH THAT I HAD SOME WORD TO DESCRIBE WHAT JESUS DID THAT WAS AS RADICAL AS THE WORD GOSPEL WAS IN HIS DAY. AND IF I COULD USE THAT WORD TO SOMEHOW OR ANOTHER DISTINGUISH WHAT JESUS DID FROM WHAT THE WORD GOSPEL HAS COME TO MEAN BY CONNOTATION TODAY, I THINK IT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL. I JUST CAN'T THINK OF A BETTER WORD THAN THIS, BUT THE WORD GOSPEL AS HE USED IT WAS SO RADICAL THAT THE RELIGIOUS PEOPLE OF HIS DAY WERE OFFENDED AT THIS BECAUSE IT WAS TALKING ABOUT GOOD NEWS, THAT
YOU'RE FORGIVEN, THAT YOU'RE CLEANSED BECAUSE OF WHAT JESUS DID AND IT'S NOT BASED ON YOUR PERFORMANCE. BOY, THAT WAS OFFENSIVE TO THE JEWS OF HIS DAY. SO REMEMBER ALL OF THAT WHEN HE SAYS, IN VERSE 16, I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL, THE NEARLY-TOO-GOOD-TO-BE-TRUE NEWS, OF CHRIST: FOR IT, TALKING ABOUT THE GOSPEL, IS THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION TO EVERY ONE THAT BELIEVETH; TO THE JEW FIRST, AND ALSO TO THE GREEK. HERE'S ANOTHER WORD THAT NEEDS TO BE EXPLAINED, IS THE WORD, SALVATION, BECAUSE TODAY, THE WORD SALVATION HAS BEEN CHEAPENED FROM WHAT IT ORIGINALLY MEANT TO BE. THE WORD SALVATION AS USED IN THE BIBLE IS NOT LIMITED TO FORGIVENESS OF SINS. IT INCLUDES FORGIVENESS OF SINS, BUT IT'S MUCH MORE THAN THAT. FOR INSTANCE, THE SAME WORD THAT WAS TRANSLATED, SAVED, MANY TIMES IN THE BIBLE IS TRANSLATED, SAVED, OVER IN JAMES, CHAPTER 5, WHERE IT SAYS, IF ANYBODY'S SICK, LET HIM CALL FOR THE ELDERS OF THE CHURCH, LET THEM ANOINT HIM WITH OIL AND PRAY OVER HIM, AND THE PRAYER OF FAITH SHALL SAVE THE SICK, SOZO, THE SICK. THAT'S THE GREEK WORD, AND IT'S THE EXACT SAME WORD THAT WAS TRANSLATED, SAVED, AS PERTAINING TO FORGIVENESS OF SINS. THAT SAME WORD IS ALSO TRANSLATED ABOUT, DELIVERED, THAT YOU CAN BE DELIVERED OF DEMONIC THINGS. THE GREEK WORD SOZO IS LITERALLY REFERRING TO NOT ONLY FORGIVENESS OF SINS, IT INCLUDES THAT, BUT IT'S THE HEALING OF YOUR BODY, IT'S DELIVERANCE FROM SATAN, DEPRESSION, DISCOURAGEMENT. IT'S PROSPERITY. IT'S ALL OF THESE THINGS. BASICALLY, I COULD SAY IT THIS WAY, THAT THE WORD, SALVATION, AS USED IN THE BIBLE REFERS TO ANYTHING THAT CAME AS A RESULT OF WHAT JESUS DID. AND SAD TO SAY, THE CHURCH FOR WHATEVER REASON TODAY HAS BROKEN SALVATION DOWN TO MEAN ONLY FORGIVENESS OF SINS, BUT THEY DON'T INCLUDE THE HEALING OF YOUR BODY. NOW THERE...THERE'S SOME THAT BELIEVE THAT HEALING HAS PASSED AWAY
AND GOD DOESN'T HEAL ANYBODY TODAY, BUT THERE'S A LARGE SEGMENT OF CHRISTIANITY THAT IF THEY GET SICK, THEY WILL PRAY FOR A HEALING AND IF HEALING COMES, THEY'LL SAY, PRAISE GOD! BUT THEY WOULD NEVER SAY THAT IT'S A PART OF JESUS' ATONEMENT, THAT HE PROVIDED HEALING JUST AS MUCH AS HE'S PROVIDED SALVATION, FORGIVENESS OF SINS. MOST CHRISTIANS WOULD SAY, NO, THAT'S NOT TRUE. THEY LOOK AT HEALING, DELIVERANCE, PROSPERITY, JOY, PEACE, AS BEING POSSIBLE, BUT ADDITIONAL TO SALVATION. BUT THIS WORD SALVATION IN THE GREEK INCLUDES HEALING, PROSPERITY, DELIVERANCE, AND ALL OF THESE THINGS. SO WHEN PAUL SAID, I'M NOT ASHAMED OF THE NEARLY-TOO-GOOD-TO-BE-TRUE NEWS THAT JESUS PAID IT ALL. IT'S NOT BASED ON MY PERFORMANCE; IT'S BASED ON MY FAITH IN WHAT HE DID, AND HE PAID IT ALL. THIS IS THE POWER OF GOD UNTO THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS, THE HEALING OF YOUR BODY, YOUR PROSPERITY, YOUR JOY, YOUR PEACE, YOUR DELIVERANCE, YOUR EMOTIONAL STABILITY, ON AND ON. FOR HIM TO SAY SOMETHING LIKE THIS WAS SO RADICAL TO THE RELIGIOUS SYSTEM OF HIS DAY. THEY DIDN'T PREACH GOOD NEWS THAT JESUS HAD DONE IT ALL, THEY PREACHED THAT THE BURDEN OF SALVATION WAS ON YOUR BACK. IF YOU DIDN'T PERFORM, GOD WOULDN'T MOVE, AND YOU KNOW, IT'S A DIFFERENT SET OF STANDARDS TODAY. MOST PEOPLE WOULDN'T CONSIDER THEMSELVES TO BE LIKE THE JEWS OF PAUL'S DAY, BUT IT'S THE SAME THING. IT'S JUST GOT SOME DIFFERENT NUANCES TO IT. BUT THE AVERAGE CHRISTIAN TODAY BELIEVES THAT GOD CAN DO ANYTHING. THEY BELIEVE THAT GOD CAN HEAL. THEY BELIEVE THAT GOD PRE... COULD PROVIDE A FINANCIAL MIRACLE. THEY BELIEVE THAT IF THEY'RE DEPRESSED AND DISCOURAGED AND IN FEAR, THAT GOD COULD MOVE IN THEIR LIFE, BUT THEY JUST DON'T KNOW FOR SURE THAT HE WOULD BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE THAT GOD'S POWER BEING DEMONSTRATED IN THEIR LIFE IS DEPENDENT UPON THEIR GOODNESS, WHETHER THEY FASTED, PRAYED, STUDIED THE WORD, WHETHER THEY'RE DOING THINGS. SO THEY...IT'S NOT REALLY THAT PEOPLE DOUBT GOD CAN DO THINGS, THEY DOUBT GOD'S WILLINGNESS TO DO IT BECAUSE THEY KNOW IN THEIR OWN HEART THEY HAVEN'T DONE EVERYTHING CORRECTLY, THAT THEY HAVEN'T LIVED UP TO IT. DID YOU KNOW IF WHAT I JUST SAID EXPRESSES YOUR ATTITUDE, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND
THE GOSPEL. THE GOSPEL IS THE-NEARLY-TOO-GOOD-TO-BE-TRUE NEWS THAT YOU DON'T GET WHAT YOU DESERVE, YOU GET WHAT JESUS DESERVED, AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS BELIEVE AND RECEIVE, OR IF YOU CONTINUE TO TRUST YOURSELF, YOU WILL DOUBT AND DO WITHOUT. YOU HAVE TO GET BEYOND YOUR SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS AND GO TO TRUSTING GOD, AND THIS IS WHAT PAUL IS SAYING. I'M NOT ASHAMED TO TELL PEOPLE THAT IT'S THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT WHAT JESUS DID FOR US, NOT WHAT WE DO FOR HIM THAT CAUSES THE POW... THAT RELEASES THE POWER FOR FORGIVENESS OF SINS, HEALING OF YOUR BODY, PROSPERITY, JOY, PEACE, EVERYTHING ELSE. BOY, THAT IS RADICAL AND I'M JUST BARELY BEGINNING ON THIS. WE'RE OUT OF TIME TODAY, BUT I'M STARTING A SERIES THAT IS GOING TO GO NEARLY VERSE BY VERSE THROUGH THE BOOK OF ROMANS, AND IF YOU STICK WITH ME AND STUDY THIS, I GUARANTEE IT'S GOING TO CHANGE YOU. I'VE GOT A BRAND-NEW BOOK ON THIS. IT'S SO NEW THAT I DON'T HAVE IT TO SHOW YOU. IT'S STILL BEING PRINTED. IT WILL BE AVAILABLE BY THE TIME YOU SEE THESE PROGRAMS. BUT WE ARE ALSO OFFERING MY<i> LIVING COMMENTARY,</i> WHICH IN MY ESTIMATION IS THE BEST THING I'VE GOT TO OFFER. WE'VE GOT CDs AND DVDs THAT WERE TAKEN FROM THIS TEACHING. AND THEN WE'VE ALSO GOT THESE <i>GRACE ENCOUNTERS,</i> TWO VOLUMES, FIVE TESTIMONIES ON EACH ONE. IF YOU'LL LISTEN, OUR ANNOUNCER WILL GIVE YOU INFORMATION ABOUT HOW YOU CAN RECEIVE
THESE PRODUCTS. <i>♪ MUSIC ♪</i> >> ANDREW IS PLEASED
TO ANNOUNCE THE RELEASE OF HIS BRAND NEW, HARD BACK BOOK TITLED, <i>ROMANS: PAUL'S MASTERPIECE</i> <i>ON GRACE.</i> THIS BRAND NEW BOOK INCLUDES ALL OF ANDREW'S PERSONAL STUDY NOTES AND COMMENTARY ON THE BOOK OF ROMANS COMPILED FROM ANDREW'S <i>LIFE FOR TODAY</i> STUDY BIBLE AND <i>LIVING COMMENTARY.</i> THIS VALUABLE RESOURCE IS AVAILABLE FOR A GIFT OF ANY AMOUNT WHEN YOU CONTACT US. <i>ROMANS: PAUL'S MASTERPIECE</i> <i>ON GRACE </i>IS ALSO AVAILABLE IN A CD OR DVD ALBUM MADE FROM OUR DAILY TELEVISION BROADCAST. EACH OF THESE
VALUABLE RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE FOR A GIFT OF ANY AMOUNT WHEN YOU CONTACT US. THIS ENTIRE SERIES IS ALSO AVAILABLE FOR AUDIO DOWNLOAD ABSOLUTELY FREE FROM OUR WEB SITE. GO TO AWMI.NET TO SEE ALL THE WAYS YOU CAN GET THIS TEACHING. TODAY YOU HEARD ANDREW'S PERSONAL REVELATION ON THE BOOK OF ROMANS. YOU CAN STUDY THROUGH THE ENTIRE BIBLE WITH ANDREW WHEN YOU GET HIS CONTINUALLY UPDATED <i>LIVING COMMENTARY.</i> THIS EXTRAORDINARY RESOURCE CONTAINS HIS PERSONAL STUDY NOTES, FOOTNOTES, AND COMMENTARY ON OVER 25,000 BIBLE VERSES. ANDREW HAS PRICED THIS VALUABLE STUDY TOOL AT ONLY $120. GO TO AWMI.NET TO DOWNLOAD YOURS TODAY. ALSO TODAY, ANDREW IS OFFERING <i>THE GRACE ENCOUNTERS</i> VOLUMES 1 AND 2 DVDs AS HIS FREE GIFT TO YOU WHEN YOU WRITE OR CALL. THIS SPECIAL OFFER IS A $50 VALUE, ABSOLUTELY FREE WHEN YOU CONTACT US TODAY. OR YOU CAN GET EACH OF THESE
VALUABLE RESOURCES AS PART OF THE ROMANS PACKAGE. THIS PACKAGE INCLUDES ANDREW'S<i> LIVING COMMENTARY,</i> AS WELL AS <i>THE ROMANS:</i> <i>PAUL'S MASTERPIECE ON GRACE</i> HARDBACK BOOK, YOUR CHOICE OF EITHER THE CD OR DVD ALBUM, AND<i> GRACE ENCOUNTERS</i> VOLUMES 1 AND 2 DVDs. THIS INCREDIBLE PACKAGE HAS A CATALOG VALUE OF $275, BUT YOU CAN RECEIVE ALL OF THESE
VALUABLE RESOURCES TODAY FOR JUST $197. YOU CAN BECOME
A GRACE PARTNER OR ORDER RESOURCES THROUGH OUR WEB SITE AT AWMI.NET. WHILE THERE, YOU CAN DISCOVER MORE PRODUCT DETAILS AND DOWNLOAD ADDITIONAL FREE RESOURCES. YOU CAN ALSO ORDER RESOURCES OR RECEIVE PRAYER BY CALLING OUR HELPLINE AT 719-635-1111. OUR HELPLINE IS OPEN MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, 24 HOURS A DAY, AND SATURDAY AND SUNDAY FROM 7:30AM TO 6PM, MOUNTAIN TIME. TO WRITE US, USE THE ADDRESS ON YOUR SCREEN. WE APPRECIATE YOUR GENEROSITY AND HOPE TO HEAR >> FROM YOU TODAY. <i>♪ MUSIC ♪</i> YOU KNOW, THE LORD HAS GIVEN ME A HUGE VISION AND WE'VE BEEN BLESSED UP TO THIS POINT, BUT I'VE STILL GOT SO MUCH THAT GOD'S LEADING ME TO DO. I'M BELIEVING GOD FOR 10,000 NEW PARTNERS. WE'VE ALREADY GOT OVER $120 MILLION WORTH OF BUILDINGS IN JUST THE LAST NINE YEARS, BUT I'VE GOT AT LEAST $100 MILLION WORTH, MAYBE $200 MILLION WORTH OF BUILDINGS STILL IN MY HEART FOR OUR STUDENTS, FOR AN ACTIVITY CENTER, WE'VE GOT A NEW
STUDENT HOUSING THAT WE'VE GOT A PRELIMINARY DRAWING OF THAT IS SHOWING YOU A LITTLE IDEA OF WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE. THIS ONE WOULD HOUSE ABOUT 120 PEOPLE. OUR OTHERS ARE GOING TO BE SMALLER WITH MAYBE SOMEWHERE AROUND 40 PEOPLE PER DORM, BUT WE NEED THIS STUDENT HOUSING, AND WE NEED PEOPLE TO BECOME PARTNERS. I'M BELIEVING FOR 10,000 NEW PARTNERS. I WOULD ASK YOU TO PRAY ABOUT IT AND IF THE LORD SAYS SO, JOIN WITH US AND HELP US CHANGE PEOPLE'S LIVES THROUGH CHARIS BIBLE COLLEGE. <i>♪ MUSIC ♪</i> <i>♪ MUSIC ♪</i> I WANT TO LET ALL OF OUR TV VIEWERS KNOW THAT ON THE 24TH OF JULY, WE’RE HAVING WHAT WE CALL CHARIS DAY LIVESTREAM. AND THIS IS WHERE I WILL BE BROADCASTING TO ALL OF OUR LOCATIONS
AROUND THE WORLD. WE HAVE WELL OVER 50 LOCATIONS IN MANY DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AND I WILL BE BROADCASTING AND JUST TALKING TO YOU ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF SIGNING UP. YOU DO HAVE TO REGISTER FOR THIS, AND SO IF YOU’LL GO TO CHARISDAY.COM AND REGISTER, THEN YOU CAN GO AND PARTICIPATE IN THIS LIVESTREAM ON JULY THE 24TH. SO CHECK IT OUT AND JOIN ME FOR OUR CHARIS DAY LIVESTREAM. <i>♪ MUSIC ♪</i> [END]
