In Jason Dohm's sermon titled 'The God of the Gospel,' the focus is on God, who extends His power through the Gospel out of His goodness and mercy to save sinners. The sermon explains that while the Gospel is significant, God is the central figure who exerts His power for salvation. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, builds a logical argument to demonstrate this truth, highlighting that the Gospel is the power of God to save everyone who believes, transcending cultural and social barriers. The sermon underscores that the righteousness of God is revealed through faith, with faith being the channel through which God's righteousness is applied to believers. Paul is not ashamed of the Gospel despite the contempt it faces because it is the only path to salvation. The sermon also emphasizes that divine righteousness, which God supplies, contrasts with human righteousness, which is insufficient. Believers are encouraged to reject their self-righteousness and wholly trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ for salvation.

The title of the sermon this morning is The God of the Gospel. It's a mistake to think that the Gospel is the center of our text. The God who extends His power in the Gospel out of his goodness is the center of the text, always. And so I'm going to try to stay focused on this great God who extends his power because he's merciful to save sinners. Last week we had this very personal and pastoral section from a very specific author to a very specific group of people.

There will be long sections of Romans that we can apply to ourselves more readily than last week's because it was so specific from Paul to these Roman believers. Paul gave thanks for their newsworthy faith, a faith that was being reported all over the world. And then he expressed his intense desire to travel to be among them, to strengthen them, and establish them. And he made it clear that he was looking for mutual encouragement, that he expected not only to be able to strengthen and establish these believers, but also to receive encouragement from experiencing their faith first hand. This week our text begins with the word for or because, either one would be fine, it's indicating a cause.

And we're going to see that a total of three times just in today's text, and then next week's text is going to begin with four. So we're getting all these causes explained, these reasons for truths unfolded to us. Paul is building a logical argument brick by brick. So you can think of Paul as laying bricks in our text. He's building a level and then he's going to build another level on that level and then he's going to build another level on that level.

He's increasing the force of the argument of what God has done in Jesus Christ until he's going to make the weight unbearable. At least that is his intent. So this is really a good representative of the book of Romans 444 because this and then because of that and then because of that and then because of that he's building this logical argument brick by brick and we're going to continue to see that as we work through the book of Romans. As we come to these two verses, let's ask God to help us. God, in this text we have Such a glory, a glory that you have decided to exert your power to save everyone who believes in your son.

You've used your power for many things. We look out on a starry night, just marvel at the exertion of your power and what it can do. Thank you for choosing to exert it in the gospel to save sinners like me and like us. We do want to glory in it. We don't wanna miss it.

We want to revel in it. I pray this morning would serve that purpose, that our hearts would be made glad in you. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. For verse 16, we'll look at each one of these verses individually. For verse 16, I'm going to back up to verse 14 to put it in context and read 14 through 16 and then talk about 16.

So hopefully your finger is still in Romans chapter 1. Join me as I reread, follow along as I reread starting in verse 14. Paul writes, I'm a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, to wise and to unwise. So as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. For I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek." In this verse, verse 16, Paul sets before us the God who extends his power to save believers through the gospel.

So if you're taking notes on the handout, filling in the blanks, or two blanks, save believers fills in the blanks. The God who extends his power exerts his power to save believers through the gospel. Paul begins by declaring that he's not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. The gospel has now been called the gospel of God in verse 1, the gospel of his son in verse 9, simply the gospel in verse 15, and now the Gospel of Christ, the glad tidings or the good news of Christ, Christ being and his the office of Jesus Christ, Christ meaning the anointed, the one who has been commissioned for the work of saving sinners. He's been anointed for the great work of saving sinners.

That's what Christ means, the anointed one for that purpose. This is the glad tidings of a Savior who has been commissioned to come and save sinners. As believers thinking of the gospel in those terms, we think of the gospel as such a wonderful thing that we that we can wonder who would ever be ashamed of it. Here among brothers and sisters in these four walls, it's easy to wonder who would ever be ashamed of the gospel. But understand, in most of the world, in 99.9999% of these four walled buildings, the gospel is despised.

Embracing the gospel, even whispering the gospel brings you into contempt. Why is that? Because the good news, the glad tidings, sits on the foundation of the bad news which strips away all human pride, which is a pill that not many humans can swallow. We're going to actually see it takes the power of God to get a human to swallow that pill. It is glad tidings, but it only makes sense to someone who has embraced the sad tidings, the bad news that we are what the Bible says that we are, stripping away all of the human pride that we want to cling to with all that we are.

We want to think well of ourselves. The gospel will not allow it so most people can't swallow the pill. So it's despised almost everywhere and if you embrace it and whisper it, it brings you into contempt almost everywhere. 1st Corinthians 1, Paul says that the Gospel is a stumbling block to Jews who had built this framework of self-righteousness. No you cannot have that.

So it's a stumbling block. You're taking away my framework that allows me to keep my pride but still be alright with God. The Gospel says, no. So it's a stumbling block to Jews and it's foolishness to the Greeks. It's foolishness to the philosophers of the world, to the sophisticated of the world.

So if you want the approval of men and the applause of men, the gospel is not for you. Children, We want you to know that because the gospel receives approval here and even applause here when we do baptism interviews. We beg children to understand before they would go into the waters of baptism that the rest of the world's not like that. We'll cheer and applaud for you when you publicly identify with Jesus in baptism. Just don't expect that out there.

You're not going to get that out there. If you want the approval and applause of men, the gospel is not for you, but it is for Paul. The gospel is for Paul and so he's not ashamed of it. Listen to this note from the MacArthur Study Bible. He, Paul, had been imprisoned in Philippi, chased out of Thessalonica, smuggled out of Berea, laughed at in Athens, regarded as a fool in Corinth and stoned in Galatia.

Neither ridicule criticism nor physical persecution could curb his boldness. This is the Paul that we see here in Romans chapter one who is not ashamed of the Gospel. He was imprisoned in Philippi. That didn't matter to him. He was not ashamed of the Gospel.

He was chased out of Thessalonica. That didn't matter to him. He was not ashamed of the Gospel. He was smuggled out of Berea. That didn't matter to him.

He was not ashamed of the gospel. He was smuggled out of Berea. That didn't matter to him. He was not ashamed of the gospel. He was laughed at in Athens.

He didn't care that they laughed at him. He wasn't ashamed of the gospel. He was regarded as a fool in Corinth. No matter to Paul, he was not ashamed of the gospel. He was stoned in Galatia.

He offered himself up to the beatings and even being stoned, he was not ashamed of the gospel. You could ridicule him, he was not ashamed of the gospel. You could criticize him, he was not ashamed of the gospel, you could physically persecute him, it would not curb his boldness. He was not ashamed of the gospel. Praise God for believers like Paul.

Why isn't Paul ashamed of the gospel? He explains it. For, so he's laying a brick and building on the brick. I'm not ashamed of the gospel for or because it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes. The gospel is God's power extended to save anyone and everyone who believes in Jesus Christ.

The gospel is God's power exerted to save those who believe. Now, a few things should be said based on this. I'm going to say four things based on this. Number one, We need to be saved. That's why Paul is saying this.

Because the human condition universally is a condition in desperate need of rescue. Human beings must be rescued or be lost forever. The perfections of God and our rebellion against God leaves us in a desperate condition, a condition that demands that we either be saved, we either be rescued, or we be lost forever. That's it. We're out of options for the human race at 2.

Rescued or lost forever? 2. Our rescue requires nothing less than the power of God. If God doesn't exert His almighty power to rescue you, you will not be rescued. It requires nothing less than the exertion of the power of the Almighty.

Prove it. Oh, Oh, dare me to prove it. Matthew 19. Look at Matthew 19 if you want, or listen to Matthew 19, verses 23 through 26. Matthew 19, 23 through 26.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, Surely I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus looked at them and said to them, With men this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible. But we tend to think of people with resources as the people who have their act together.

That's why they have resources. Because their discipline. They've worked hard often. So if if anyone's near the kingdom it would be a rich person. We think of resources as a sign of God's favor.

So if the people who seem to have their act together and who seem to have the evidences of God's favor can't be saved without the exertion of the power of God, who can be saved? Jesus says, it's impossible. It's impossible. But with God, all things are possible. Our rescue requires nothing less than exertion of the Almighty God.

Three. God. Three, we are rescued through belief in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Who he is and what he has done in trusting yourself to that is how I am rescued. The Gospel of John, we hit this, this believe in me, believe in Jesus over and over again.

And we kept going back to what's wrapped up in that Greek word, two things. Yes, assent, agreeing with the truths, but also consent in trusting yourself to the source of the truth. So it's more than just there are facts about Jesus and I accept the facts as true so that is saving faith. No, no, no. There's this second element of entrusting yourself to the source of the facts.

Just Jesus made claims that are to be believed, but in believing them you are saying, I entrust myself to the source of these things that I'm believing. So there is assent to the truths, but consent, consenting to, entrusting yourself to the source of those truths. We are rescued through belief in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Four, Rescue is the universal result of believing in Jesus. Everyone who believes in Jesus is rescued.

Period. End of sentence. Anyone who believes in Jesus is rescued. Period. End of sentence.

In John 6 verse 35 Jesus says, He who believes in me shall never thirst. Two verses later, John 6 37, he says, The one who comes to me I will by no means cast out. All who come to Him believing in Him will never thirst. He will never cast out any of them who come to Him by faith in belief. Rescue is the universal result of believing in Jesus, no exceptions ever.

Then verse 16 concludes this way, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. The gospel is God's power exerted to save everyone who believes for the Jew first and also for the Greek. Now why to the Jew first? Let's reread the beginning of the letter. So we're still in chapter 1.

Let's reread the first three verses. Paul, a bond servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God, which he promised before through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures concerning his son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh. He started the letter by saying that the gospel is the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises. Those were promises made by God through Jewish prophets overwhelmingly to the Jews. Genesis 12 is a good representation of the point.

In Genesis 12 verse 2, God says to Abraham, I will bless you and you shall be a blessing. Then in the next verse, Genesis 12 verse 3, In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. I will bless you and you shall be a blessing. In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. So the Jews enjoyed a place of priority which would eventually be a foundation of the worldwide offer of peace with God through this Jewish Savior.

In the line of David, according to the flesh, He started the letter that way. So in Jesus' life and ministry, we see that Jesus was sent overwhelmingly to the lost sheep of Israel. And even Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, had the practice of entering a city and preaching Christ to the Jews in the synagogue until they kicked him out. Then he's preaching to the Gentiles. Even the apostle to the Gentiles would go to a city and start his preaching ministry in that city to Jews in their synagogue.

In the end, not one single person should be troubled by this priority that the Jews enjoy. Everyone who believes in Jesus will be saved. And the priority of the Jews simply means that God keeps his promises. Most of those promises were to the Jews and he kept them and Gentiles should rejoice in that, not covet that, rejoice in that because it means that God will keep all his promises to you. He's made you plenty of great and precious promises.

This does not in any way create two classes in the kingdom of God. You go to Paul's other letters, that's so, so, so, so clear. There are not two classes. The middle wall of separation between Jew and Gentile has been torn down in Christ. He Himself is our peace who has broken down every wall.

Let's apply as we go. I'll give you two applications here in verse 16. One, let's acknowledge the tremendous pressures that exist to make us ashamed of the gospel. There's no point denying it. Paul doesn't denying it.

Paul is actually conditioning the Roman believers to expect to be brought into contempt by the gospel and to feel the pressures of being made ashamed of the gospel by that. He's forearming them. He's forewarning them so they will be forearmed. Let's acknowledge those tremendous pressures that exist to make us ashamed of the gospel, to make us be quiet when we should speak up. They do exist.

We feel them. Every time we feel the internal nudge to share the good news of Jesus with some and you feel it. You know you feel it. No sense denying it. Paul doesn't deny it.

And yet Paul was not ashamed of the gospel. The gospel is God exerting his power to save sinners. We should never be ashamed of it. There's nothing to be ashamed of there. There's only one way to be rescued.

That's the way. If you're not rescued that way, you're not rescued at all. There's nothing to be ashamed of here. We should never be ashamed of it. Secondly, number two, we'll go back to a verse from last week, verse 14.

Paul says, I am the debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians both to wise and to unwise. Paul says elsewhere woe is me if I don't preach the gospel. He felt every day of his life he felt this burning internal compulsion to bring the gospel to who? To the sophisticated, to the ones who spoke the worldwide language and participated in the culture that goes with that language, the Greek language, and to the most uncultured, unsophisticated, backwater hicks on the face of the earth. The gospel is for everyone.

Anyone who believes is rescued. Everyone who believes is rescued. No one is above the gospel, no one is below the gospel, every human being needs rescue. There is only one way to be rescued. It is the gospel of Christ.

It is the gospel of Christ. Oh, they're not gonna listen to me. They're too sophisticated for this stuff. Listen, if they're not saved that way, they will not be saved at all. They'll be lost forever.

They're too beneath the gospel. They've been wallowing in that lifestyle forever. You know what? No one's beneath the gospel. If they are ever going to be rescued, it is by the gospel or not at all.

Verse 17. Verse 17. For in it, for in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. As it is written, the just shall live by faith. In verse 17, we have the revelation of God's righteousness.

If you're taking notes on the handout by filling in blanks, righteousness fills in the blank. The revelation of God's righteousness. In the gospel, in these glad tidings, in this good news, The righteousness that comes from God, the righteousness of God, God is the source of the righteousness, is made known and made effective. It does its work to all who believe in Jesus. Now let's let me re-say that because that was a lot.

It's not quite as bad as Paul with the modifying phrases but it's close. Let me re-say that and then try to unpack it. In the gospel the righteousness that comes from God, the righteousness of God, God is the source of it, is made known and made effective to all who believe in Jesus. Verse 17 begins again with for or because. This is an explanation of the gospel being God exerting his power to rescue everyone who believes.

So verse 16, God exerts his power in the gospel to rescue everyone who believes. And then this explains that. Paul, how does that work? This is Paul saying this is how it works. The righteousness of God here is not simply a description of God being perfectly righteous.

God is perfectly righteous. But it's not just Paul saying God's perfectly righteous. The righteousness of God, God is very righteous. No, no, no. More is being said here than just that.

It is a righteousness given by God to the believer. The point isn't that God is righteous. The point, He is, but that's not the point. The point is, God is the source of righteousness given to the believer. The righteousness of God flowing from God.

God is the source of it. Because this righteousness is not our righteousness, it is his righteousness. Our righteousness is self-righteousness. Our righteousness is really not righteousness at all in the sight of the one who is actually righteous, God. The righteousness of God is sufficient to put us in a right standing with this perfectly righteous God.

That's the whole point here. Because God is the source of this righteousness and not you in your self-righteousness, which isn't righteous at all. Because God is the source of it, it is acceptable to Him. As the source of it, it's perfect righteousness. So he can and does accept it to put us in right standing with him, even though he's perfectly righteous.

Now, What is the channel for God's righteousness being applied to a person? Faith. Faith is the channel of God's righteousness being applied to a person. If we knew Greek, it would be immediately obvious that believes in verse 16 and faith in verse 17 are part of a single word group. So they look like very different words to us because in English believes and faith aren't part of the same word group but in the Greek these words look almost identical when you look at them in the lexicon.

They have an identical root, they're just different forms of the same root. Believes is the verb form, faith is the noun form, but they look almost identical when you see it in the Greek. So to keep that continuity we could translate it from believing to believing. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed from believing to believing. There are a lot of views on what exactly from faith to faith or by faith to faith depending on the translation you're looking at means.

After studying it as extensively this week, I resonated the most with Thomas Schreiner who says this, I suggest that a weakness of many interpretations is the attempt to squeeze more meaning out of the phrase than is warranted. I think that's exactly right. You have commentators saying, well, the first faith in from faith to faith is this kind of faith and the second faith in from faith to faith is this kind of faith, and the second faith in from faith to faith is this kind of faith, and it's a movement from this faith to this kind of faith. You think Paul was really trying to say all that? I don't.

I think that a weakness of many of the interpretations, like Thomas Schreiner says, is trying to say true things, trying to pack true things into this when Paul never had those things in mind when he put it this way. I believe Paul is simply saying and saying emphatically saying it with gusto by the repetition of the word that faith and faith alone is the channel of God's righteousness being applied to a person. It's faith from start to finish, from first to last. The NIV actually translates it by faith from first to last, which is terrible translation. First isn't in the Greek, last isn't in the Greek.

It's not translation, but I think it's good commentary. I will not accept that as translation. That is lousy translation, but good commentary. I'll accept it as commentary. I think they nailed the sense of it.

It's the righteousness of God, the channel for that is faith from first to last. I think that's what Paul is saying here. Finally, Paul quotes Habakkuk 2, 4. As it is written, the just shall live by faith. This is more proof that the gospel is the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises.

And by the way, as we work through Romans, we're going to hit this time after time after time after time, Paul quoting the Old Testament as the foundation for what he's trying to teach in his letter to the Romans. It's a foundation for gospel preaching. Here it is. The Old Testament, Habakkuk chapter chapter 2 verse 4, has a foundation for gospel preaching. As it is written, the just shall live by faith.

Paul is offering Habakkuk 2 for as proof from Scripture that this God righteousness comes through faith, only through faith. And similar to what I said earlier if we knew Greek it would be immediately obvious that righteousness earlier in verse 17 and just here later in verse 17 are part of a single word group. So righteousness, the beginning of the verse, for in it in the gospel the righteousness of God and then just here at the end the just shall live by faith are part of an identical word group that share a root and it's just different parts of speech. Righteousness being the noun form, just being the adjective form. So to keep that continuity, we could translate it, the righteous shall live by faith.

The righteous shall live by faith. And actually the NASB and the ESV and the NIV do translate it that way. They translate Paul's quotation of Habakkuk 2 verse 4 as the righteous shall live by faith. Life or rescue from death, saving from death, resurrection from the dead is by faith. We've studied Habakkuk.

Wonder how many years ago that was. A couple of years ago, we preached through Habakkuk. So I preached on that verse, and I would say this, having preached on that verse, Habakkuk 2-4 means more than that, but it doesn't mean less than that. And that The portion of the meaning That Paul is drawing out of it is definitely part of Habakkuk 2 verse 4 so I'm saying all that to say Paul isn't giving a comprehensive Exposition of Habakkuk 2 verse 4 there's more there than just that but he's reaching into Habakkuk 2 4 to say the righteous derive spiritual life from faith, and that that is definitely part of the meaning of Habakkuk 2 verse 4 and there's more there but it doesn't serve Paul's purposes so he doesn't bring that forward here. The point is that life, rescue from death, resurrection from the dead is by faith.

So that unpacks it. Before we apply it, I want to give you three texts where Paul comments on Paul. Paul, as usual, is the best commentator on Paul. You go to other places that really throw light on what he's saying in our text because he touches on it more expansively in other places. The first is Galatians 3.

Please turn there. Galatians 3. Galatians 3 is particularly useful. Why? Because in Galatians 3 he quotes Habakkuk chapter 2 verse 4 again, but more expansively.

So you can see more of what he says about this verse as it is written, The just shall live by faith. He says more of it here in Galatians 3. Follow along as I read Galatians 3 verses 6 through 11. Galatians 3, 6 through 11. Just as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

So believe believing faith being accounted for righteousness. Verse 7, Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, In you all the nations shall be blessed. So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham." Verse 10, for as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse for it is written cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them but that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident for the just shall live by faith. Verse 11 is the conclusion of this extended argument made by Paul and Galatians 3 but that no one is justified by the law, no one is justified by law keeping, is evident for the just shall live by faith.

Spiritual life can never be earned through law keeping, Never. Unless you can keep all of the law all of the time from the first breath of your life to the last breath of your life. That ship sailed so long ago. It's your thoughts, it's your words, it's your deeds. You wouldn't even pass that test today.

You wouldn't even pass that test this hour, keeping all of the law even in your heart and in your motivations. If we could isolate on the best hour of your life, you would not pass that test. If you want righteousness by law-keeping that's the deal. All the law, all the time, first breath to last breath. If you can do that you can be righteous by law-keeping.

Otherwise you only have one hope, The just shall live by faith. The just shall derive spiritual life, receive spiritual life by trusting in the person and work of Jesus Christ. There is no other way. This is the argument that Paul is starting to make in seed form. Oh, he's going to make it a lot more fully as we work through Romans.

Secondly, Philippians chapter 3. So go to Philippians chapter 3. Philippians chapter 3, Follow along as I read verses 7 through 9. Paul writes, But what things were gained to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ listen listen here it is verse 9 and be found in him not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith." Bingo!

That's exactly what Paul was saying in Romans 1. That Paul and every other person who is going to be rescued by God must be rescued by setting aside their own righteousness which is from the law which is by law keeping in order to embrace that righteousness which is through faith in Christ the righteousness which is from God by faith. Faith is the channel of that righteousness and God is the source, not you, of that righteousness. Two kinds of righteousness. My righteousness, I keep the law rejected as faulty and no righteousness at all, and the righteousness of God, the person of Jesus, the work of Jesus received because God is the source of that righteousness.

It is a righteousness that comes from outside of you, is given to you by God and faith is the channel. Trusting in Jesus is the channel for that righteousness being applied to you. Finally, the third commentary of Paul on Paul. Second Corinthians 521. If you haven't memorized it, memorize it.

2 Corinthians 521. I don't know how you could distill the gospel any more than 2nd Corinthians 521, for He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. For God the Father made Jesus who knew no sin, lived a perfectly sinless life, To be sin for us. When you see Jesus agonizing in Gethsemane, that's why He's agonizing. Not fear of death, but hatred of sin and He's being made sin.

Why is he being made sin? So that we might become the righteousness of God in him. That through union with Jesus Christ, being in Christ, His righteousness, divine righteousness, God righteousness might become my righteousness. That's what's happening is Jesus is dying on the cross. He's being made sin for sinners that we might become the righteousness of God, an external righteousness that becomes our righteousness by faith.

Faith is the channel. Believing in Jesus is the only channel. You can only be rescued by believing in Jesus. Now let's apply. The contrast is not between divine righteousness and human unrighteousness.

It's the wrong way to think of it. What are we contrasting here? Divine righteousness, God's perfectly righteous and human unrighteousness. Wow, we missed the mark, so we should do better. No, no, no, that's not the contrast.

The contrast is between divine righteousness and human righteousness, which is filthy rags in a sight. To have Jesus, the calling isn't just to walk away from wickedness, it's to walk away from your righteousness which will expose you and fail you on the day of judgment if you don't forsake it to have an external righteousness that comes by trusting in the personal work of Jesus. It is not just your wickedness that you're walking away from to trust in Christ. It's your righteousness. Because you've been convinced that it's no righteousness at all.

The contrast is between divine righteousness, which God supplies to those who believe in His son Jesus, and human righteousness, which is filthy rags on His side. So the application is, reject your righteousness. Agree with God that it's no righteousness at all. That every bit of the things that you're the proudest of could not withstand the searching eye of an all-knowing perfectly righteous God. If you could narrow it down to the best thing, it would not survive God's judgment because he is perfectly righteous.

So you might as well walk away from it all if the best thing you've ever done won't survive the test of The all-knowing perfectly righteous God you might as well walk away from all of it to have This righteousness which comes only by believing in the person or work of Jesus Christ. Swallow the pill. Believe what the Bible says about you. It's so true. God knows you better than you.

If you could see yourself as God sees you, you would run to Jesus so fast. Conclusion. Our text today is Romans in a nutshell. We won't go on to the next book, but we almost could. It's Romans in a nutshell.

Scientists start with a hypothesis, something that they think might be true, think is true, hope is true, and then they set out to prove it. This is what Paul is doing. Our text Romans 1 16 and 17 is Paul's hypothesis and He's going to spend the rest of Romans proving it to you. Brick by brick. Four, four, four, four, four.

Because, because, because, because, because. Building, building, building, building. To make the weight of the force of this argument that there's only one way that we can be rescued. Why is he doing that? So we'll abandon every other hope to only hope in Jesus.

Might seem like the gospel is the center, but it isn't. The God who exerts his power in the gospel to save those who believe is the center of all these things. This just resounds to his glory. That's what it's meant to do. So we're not meant to worship the gospel.

Of course not, we never think of it in those terms. But just be careful that we don't put the gospel at the center of these things. It's God exerting his power to save sinners. That's what the gospel is. God, thank you for the gospel and what it represents that you have not been content to let us have what we deserve, but you have determined to exert your almighty power to save all those who believe to save sinners.

Thank you. We praise you in Jesus name. Amen.