1 00:00:01,600 --> 00:00:05,800 All right, my Bible and 365 brothers and sisters, we have 2 00:00:05,800 --> 00:00:11,920 arrived at the wonderful book of Romans and this is a great book. 3 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:14,960 This is one of my all time favorites. 4 00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:19,400 Romans is powerful. It tells us who we are, how we 5 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:25,000 live, and why we have hope. It is an incredible book. 6 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:26,640 And I'm going to just tell you this right now. 7 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:31,400 If you want to dig in depth, you can go to jamescadiz.com. 8 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:35,320 Ioffer this Bible study at many levels in many different ways 9 00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:37,640 through many different generations of teachings. 10 00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:40,240 You will absolutely love it. Now let me just simply say this, 11 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:43,800 the book of Romans gives us one of the clearest explanations of 12 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:46,160 the gospel found anywhere in the Bible. 13 00:00:46,160 --> 00:00:50,480 It explains our sin, our salvation, our identity in 14 00:00:50,480 --> 00:00:54,240 Christ, even talks about our relationship with Israel, no 15 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:56,280 joke. And the way we're supposed to 16 00:00:56,280 --> 00:01:00,720 live once we understand what God has done for us is also clearly 17 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:04,840 defined in this book. And the message could not be 18 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:09,360 more important than right now. This message is critical. 19 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:13,640 We are living in a Dark World that's filled with deception and 20 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:17,240 confusion and fear and all kinds of spiritual bondage. 21 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:21,120 The world is constantly trying to define who we are. 22 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:25,280 It wants to tell us that we are the sum of our failures or our 23 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:28,200 desires or our feelings, or, yes, even our past. 24 00:01:28,960 --> 00:01:32,360 Certainly none of that, right? Even our circumstances. 25 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:35,760 Romans tells us something completely different. 26 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:41,840 Romans tells us who we are, who we were without Christ. 27 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:45,840 It tells us that we are now in Christ and what that actually 28 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:48,440 means. And it shows us the power that 29 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:52,000 lives inside of us, the faithfulness of God who saved 30 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,680 us, and by the way, the reasonable response that we 31 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:57,880 should be having to everything that He has done for us. 32 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:01,480 And folks, let me just simply tell you this because it's true. 33 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:05,320 The struggle is real. Struggle is real. 34 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:09,080 At the end of Romans Chapter 7, Paul describes the frustration 35 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:13,320 of that struggle and it's amazing the things that he says. 36 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:17,280 He recognizes exactly how tough it is. 37 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:20,040 He says this, he says, the things I want to do, I don't do. 38 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:21,320 The things I don't want to do, I do. 39 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:24,520 And then he goes on to say, who will deliver me from this death 40 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:27,520 trap? And I want you to notice that he 41 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:30,880 answers that question by simply saying it's Christ. 42 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:33,920 He doesn't say what will deliver me or what philosophy will 43 00:02:33,920 --> 00:02:35,720 deliver me or what mindset will deliver me. 44 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:40,000 He says, no, it's Christ. And that is remarkable because 45 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:42,280 it forces us to ask this question. 46 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:45,440 Does what I do determine who I am? 47 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:47,240 Or does who I am determine what I do? 48 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:52,040 And Romans teaches us that who we are determines what we do. 49 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:54,960 And if we know that, we understand that, and our 50 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:56,880 identity is wrapped up in Christ. 51 00:02:56,880 --> 00:03:00,960 And we recognize that in Romans 8 does something remarkable. 52 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:07,200 It reminds us that we are no longer under any condemnation if 53 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:14,800 we are walking with Christ. Guys, the power of such a thing 54 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:19,200 is remarkable. It's our identity. 55 00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:22,800 Being in Christ is not just our position. 56 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:26,200 It's our identity. We're not trying to earn our way 57 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:28,640 into Christ or into heaven for that matter. 58 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:32,040 We're not trying to work our way out of condemnation. 59 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:35,400 We're not trying to do any of those things. 60 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:38,920 Jesus took the condemnation that belonged to us, and because we 61 00:03:38,920 --> 00:03:41,720 are in Him, there is now no condemnation. 62 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:45,160 Now let's get this straight. The enemy is going to accuse us. 63 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:47,360 Sure he will. The world is going to condemn 64 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:48,640 us. Of course they will. 65 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:52,760 What do we expect? Our own minds are going to come 66 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:55,920 against us. Our own minds are going to 67 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:58,800 remind us of the very things that we've done wrong and beat 68 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:02,040 us up. But God says that those who are 69 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:05,520 in Christ Jesus are no longer condemned. 70 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:09,000 We have been made free from the law of sin and death. 71 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:13,680 In other words, the effects of falling short of the perfect law 72 00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:17,720 of God is no longer something that we are subjugated to. 73 00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:23,680 Christ did it for us. The power of the resurrection 74 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:26,120 lives inside of us. Let me read to you one of my 75 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:31,280 favorite passages in the Bible. It's Romans chapter 8, verse 11, 76 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:35,080 and it is powerful. What it means is substantial. 77 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:39,320 It says this, it says, but if the spirit of him that raised up 78 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:43,200 Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ 79 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:47,360 from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit 80 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:50,520 that dwelleth in you. Think about what that means. 81 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:52,840 Just think about it for a second. 82 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:59,840 The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you and 83 00:04:59,840 --> 00:05:03,240 dwells in me. We're not powerless, you guys, 84 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:06,480 against sin. We're not helpless against 85 00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:09,800 temptation. We are not condemned to remain 86 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:13,360 enslaved to the patterns that once used to control us. 87 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:16,880 Victory doesn't come from the strength of our flesh. 88 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:21,400 If it did, I'd be gone. Victory comes through the power 89 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:25,840 of the Holy Spirit of God that lives inside of us, the Spirit 90 00:05:25,840 --> 00:05:29,040 of God that gives life. He changes our desires. 91 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:33,840 He strengthens us to obey. He gives us the power to say no 92 00:05:33,840 --> 00:05:37,200 to the flesh and yes to God. It just doesn't mean that as 93 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:39,600 believers, we never struggle. Come on, give me a break. 94 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:42,080 We know that that's not true. We know that we struggle. 95 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:45,280 Romans Chapter 7 makes it very clear that the struggle is super 96 00:05:45,280 --> 00:05:47,360 real. But Romans chapter 8 makes it 97 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:50,960 equally clear that we're no longer fighting alone, that we 98 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:52,960 are no longer fighting without power. 99 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:58,240 The power of the resurrection of Jesus lives inside of us, and 100 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:01,520 that speaks boldly to the fact that we are children of God. 101 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:04,400 We're not slaves to fear. We're not slaves to sin. 102 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:08,560 Later on in Romans chapter 8, he says that, and I think it's 103 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:12,240 super important that we understand that we have received 104 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:27,510 the spirit of adoption. My mom and my dad gave me one of 105 00:06:27,510 --> 00:06:32,190 the greatest childhoods that any man could ever receive, any boy 106 00:06:32,190 --> 00:06:41,840 could ever receive. I was not physically adopted 107 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:50,840 like I got to adopt my children, but one of the greatest joys 108 00:06:50,840 --> 00:06:56,480 that I have received in my life is to tell all of my children 109 00:06:56,480 --> 00:07:01,400 that I've adopted, that I myself am adopted as well. 110 00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:09,120 My oldest daughter said, well, Jane, Baba Jindo never adopted 111 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:13,160 you. I said, you're right honey, But 112 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:18,760 the God who created Jindo adopted me, just like he adopted 113 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:22,160 you when you put your faith and trust in him. 114 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:33,200 We were adopted, all of us. You know, we're I don't get me 115 00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:36,320 wrong, I I appreciate the we are the world. 116 00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:40,000 We are God's children, but that's a lie. 117 00:07:42,040 --> 00:07:44,800 You don't become a child of God until you put your faith and 118 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:48,400 trust in Jesus. This is the problem with doing 119 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:50,800 this all in one take. Now I have to do this because I 120 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:53,360 was crying. Hold on a second. 121 00:07:53,360 --> 00:08:07,920 I got to mute the mic. We become God's children and we 122 00:08:07,920 --> 00:08:10,760 put our faith and trust in Him, and He changes our identity and 123 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:18,120 we receive the inheritance. By the way, Romans reminds us of 124 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:23,360 God's faithfulness, and it reminds us of God's faithfulness 125 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:26,680 through showing us that God continues to remain faithful to 126 00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:30,160 Israel. Romans Chapter 9 through 11, if 127 00:08:30,160 --> 00:08:36,039 you read through that it it deals directly with Israel and 128 00:08:36,039 --> 00:08:39,120 the faithfulness of God. Some wrongly will teach that God 129 00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:41,880 is finished with Israel or that his promises to Israel have 130 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:44,600 somehow been canceled. But Paul asked the question 131 00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:46,400 directly and he makes it very very clear. 132 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:49,440 He says, I say then has God castaway his people? 133 00:08:49,560 --> 00:08:54,080 And his answer is, God forbid. For I also am an Israelite of 134 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:55,880 the seed of Abraham, the tribe of Benjamin. 135 00:08:56,120 --> 00:09:00,720 God hath not castaway his people which he foreknew. 136 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:05,240 Paul makes it even more clear later on in in in in Romans 137 00:09:05,240 --> 00:09:10,240 Chapter 11. He says it right in verse 25. 138 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:13,040 He says, For I would not brethren, that you be ignorant 139 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:16,400 of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own conceits. 140 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:21,560 He says the blindness in part is happened to Israel until the 141 00:09:21,560 --> 00:09:23,240 fullness of the Gentiles becoming. 142 00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:26,560 In other words, what he goes on to say is that God is not done 143 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:29,400 dealing with Israel. As a matter of fact, when you 144 00:09:29,400 --> 00:09:32,360 read the passage, it says for the gifts and calling of God or 145 00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:34,840 without repentance. It does not apply to somebody 146 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:38,080 who's fallen away or has committed sin and now is coming 147 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:42,160 back to start serving the Lord. The gifts and calling of God 148 00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:45,040 being without repentance speaks directly of Israel. 149 00:09:45,040 --> 00:09:46,400 Now why am I making a big deal of that? 150 00:09:49,680 --> 00:09:53,280 If God abandons Israel, then we have no hope. 151 00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:58,560 God doesn't break His promises. His faithfulness to Israel is 152 00:09:58,560 --> 00:10:00,800 evidence of His faithfulness to the church. 153 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:04,800 The God who keeps his covenant with Israel is the same God who 154 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:07,320 promises that nothing can separate us from the love of 155 00:10:07,320 --> 00:10:13,040 Christ. Our salvation is secure because 156 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:16,000 God's character is unchanging and we see that in the way he 157 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:19,040 deals with Israel. Now I would be a miss if I did 158 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:21,760 not mention this part because this was one of Charlie's 159 00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:24,720 favorite sets of verses in the Bible. 160 00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:31,600 After explaining the mercies of God through the 1st 11 chapters 161 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:34,200 of the book of Romans, Paul tells us how he how we should 162 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:38,160 respond. This is what he says Romans 163 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:40,000 chapter 12 verse 1. He says, I beseech you 164 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:42,280 therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present 165 00:10:42,280 --> 00:10:46,800 your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which 166 00:10:46,800 --> 00:10:52,600 is your reasonable service. Then he says this he says, be 167 00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:54,840 not conformed to this world will be you transformed by the 168 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:57,600 renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and 169 00:10:57,600 --> 00:10:59,400 acceptable and perfect will of God. 170 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:03,080 Notice what Paul says. He says by the mercies of God, 171 00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:08,480 because everything God has done, because of the fact that He 172 00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:12,400 justified us, He freed us from condemnation, He placed His 173 00:11:12,400 --> 00:11:16,760 Spirit inside of us, He adopted us as His children, He secured 174 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:20,360 our future, and He demonstrated that He always keeps His 175 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:23,600 promises. Our reasonable service is to 176 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:28,920 give Him our entire lives. A living sacrifice means we 177 00:11:28,920 --> 00:11:33,080 belong completely to Him. Our minds belong to Him, our 178 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:36,520 bodies belong to Him, our decisions belong to Him, our 179 00:11:36,520 --> 00:11:40,000 time belongs to Him, our resources belong to Him, our 180 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:45,920 future belongs to him. It is world filled with 181 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:52,600 deception. We must refuse to be conformed 182 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:56,240 to the thinking of this insane world. 183 00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:01,520 We have to. We need you to see this. 184 00:12:05,680 --> 00:12:07,200 The world wants to shape our minds. 185 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:08,800 Guys, please listen to me when I say this. 186 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:12,440 The world wants to shape our minds through fear, through 187 00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:15,920 propaganda, lust, pride, you name it, bitterness, confusion. 188 00:12:17,280 --> 00:12:21,600 But God wants to transform us by renewing our minds through His 189 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:24,840 word. We don't overcome darkness by 190 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:26,920 becoming more like the world. We never will. 191 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:32,640 We overcome darkness by surrounding ourselves completely 192 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:38,120 around the Word of God and surrending our surrendering 193 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:45,080 ourselves to God. The message of Romans is a 194 00:12:45,080 --> 00:12:50,400 message of hope. Yeah, certainly sin is real. 195 00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:57,280 The struggle is real. The world is dark. 196 00:12:57,920 --> 00:13:03,320 Believe me when I say this deception is increasing, making 197 00:13:03,320 --> 00:13:07,040 no mistake, but there is no condemnation for those who are 198 00:13:07,040 --> 00:13:10,720 in Christ Jesus. The same Spirit who rose Christ 199 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:15,120 from the dead lives inside of us to give us victory over sin. 200 00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:18,800 We are not slaves to fear. We are children of God. 201 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:22,480 God has not abandoned Israel. He will never abandoned those 202 00:13:22,840 --> 00:13:26,000 who belong to Christ. Because of that and because of 203 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:29,280 His mercy, our reasonable service is to present ourselves 204 00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:33,280 to Him as the living sacrifices, refusing to be conformed to this 205 00:13:33,280 --> 00:13:37,560 world and allowing Him to transform us by the renewing of 206 00:13:37,560 --> 00:13:40,160 our minds. The darkness does not define us. 207 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:42,600 The deception will never control us. 208 00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:44,880 The world does not determine our identity. 209 00:13:45,080 --> 00:13:49,400 We belong to Christ with the power of His Spirit living 210 00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:52,920 inside of us. And because God always keeps his 211 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:56,880 promises, we have every reason to be filled with hope. 212 00:13:57,080 --> 00:14:01,880 That's the story of Romans. This is one thing that I think 213 00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:06,120 is so critical for me to leave you with at the end of Romans, 214 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:09,800 specifically in Romans chapter 16, he says this. 215 00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:13,720 He says be innocent of those things which are evil. 216 00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:17,000 What does he want us to do instead? 217 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:21,080 He says be excellent in that which is good. 218 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:27,120 What does that mean? Surround yourself with the Word 219 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:31,720 of God and allow that to be the thing that influences you, 220 00:14:32,040 --> 00:14:35,840 engulfs you with insight and wisdom, and gives you the 221 00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:37,520 victory that God has already promised you. 222 00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:39,600 Oh, there's so much more in Romans. 223 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:41,600 Go through my Bible studies on there. 224 00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:44,400 We're more than conquerors. All things come together for the 225 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:46,400 good. There's so much we can learn in 226 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:48,800 this book. It's incredible. 227 00:14:48,920 --> 00:14:51,640 It even answers the questions about what about the pygmies and 228 00:14:51,880 --> 00:14:53,520 what about people who've never heard the gospel. 229 00:14:53,800 --> 00:14:59,160 Romans is a powerhouse. Get in there, explore it, You're 230 00:14:59,160 --> 00:15:01,920 going to love it. By the way, see you at the Q&A 231 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:03,520 in a few days. I love you guys. 232 00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:05,760 God bless you. Keep fighting the good fight.