ROMANS. Chapter I (Seed Thoughts.) V 1. IDENTIFICATION. Paul a servant of the Lord, completely given over to serving Jesus Christ.

He had left the evilness of his old way of life and was now confessing Jesus as his Saviour. ROMANS I v 16 ; For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation, to everyone that believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. The apostle Peter could say, JOHN 6 v 69 ; And we believe and are sure that You are that Christ, the Son of the living God. LUKE 9 v 1-2 ; The He called His twelve disciples together and gave then power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases. And He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. To do this they had to identify that they were servants of Jesus Christ, believed He was the Son of God and that He offered eternal life to those who would repent of their sins, turn away from all evilness and worship God in sincerity and truth, May we also be proud to proclaim that we worship a holy God and we follow the gospel of Jesus Christ. V 2, INSTRUCTION. The prophecies and promises of God were to be installed in the hearts of mankind. God did not want any of His "family' to be neither cold nor hot but to be willing to be identified as Christians eager to follow the commandments of God.. PROVERBS 23 v 26 ; My son give Me your heart, and let your eyes observe My ways. JOHN 16 v 13 ; Howbeit when He the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth, for He shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall He speak and He will show you things to come. How can we know God's commandments unless we are willing to meditate upon the Scriptures and seek to act upon them ? How can we bring other people to Jesus unless we know that Jesus is our Lord and Saviour and we have the word of God in our hearts. V 3. PROCLAMATION; All mankind should know who Jesus is and why He died on Calvary's Cross. Let us be like Paul and the disciples who were not ashamed of the gospel of Christ and firmly believed on Him ISAIAH 9 v 7 ; For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. MATTHEW 11 v 28-30 ; Come unto Me all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Let us help to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. V 4. DECLARATION. The Son of God resurrected from the dead and is now in heaven with His heavenly Father. Reconciliation is now possible with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, whose death and resurrection paved the way for the sinner to turn away from his sin and turn to God. PSALM 2 v 7 ; I will declare the decree, The Lord has said unto me, You are My Son, this day have I begotten you. Our change from being dead to sin and alive in Christ has been made possible by the power of God.. Let us use this power to glorify God.. GALATIANS I v 3-4 ; Grace be to you from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father. GALATIANS 4 v 4-6 -, But when the fulness of time was come, God sent forth His Son made of a woman made under the law. To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of Ms Son in to your hearts crying, Abba, Father. V 5. REVELATION. While we keep our faith in Jesus, God will bless us . Let us rejoice that we have such a mighty God to worship and meet our needs. I Corinthians 2 v 9 -10 ; But it is written, eye has not seen nor ear heard neither has entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for them that love . but God has revealed them to us by His Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things yes, the deep things of God.

I JOHN I v 2-3 ; For the life was manifested and we have seen it and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal fife, which was with the Father and was manifested unto us. 2 PETER 2 v 9 ; The Lord knows how to deliver the ungodly out of temptation, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished.. Our God is real and mighty, he watches over us as we seek His power to overcome temptation as it comes upon us.. He says to those who love Him, I will never leave you nor forsake you. V 6. MOTIVATION. Called by Jesus to join His Christian army and to go forth and witness to the unsaved of His death and reaction, that we might be given the opportunity of reconciliation with God, have our sins forgiven after due repentance ,and by standing fast in the Christian faith in God, have the assurance of eternal life wit h Jesus May we long continue to be Christ's disciples. JOHN 14 v 23 ; Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me he will keep My words, and My Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him. I JOHN 4 v 15-16 ; Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has to us,. God is love and he that dwells in love dwells in God and God in him. Idol worshippers and sun worshippers can never know the close relationship the Christians have with their God.. The Godhead works together for our good and advancement in the knowledge of God, We have the Spirit of God indwelling us to guide us and strengthen our fight against evil temptations. We have the greatest of motives to stand fast in our Christian faith. V 7. SEPARATION; We are called to be saints and follow Jesus, called to turn away from the sins of the world and to present a holy and united front against those who would oppose our Christian walk. 2 CORINTHIANS 6 v 14, 17-18 ; Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness ? and what communion has light with darkness. ? Wherefore come out from among them and be separate says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you and you shall be My sons and daughters says the Lord Almighty. JOHN 12 v 26 If any man serve Me let him follow me, and where I am there shall also My servant be. If any man serve Me him will My Father honour. I CORINTHIANS I v 9-10 ; God is faithful by whom you were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, Now I beseech you brethren by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgement. Separated from the world evils and united in our service to Jesus. V 8. EXALTATION Paul made the most of every opportunity he had to exalt the name of Jesus to the people he spoke to. The psalmist was filled with praise and exaltation for his God. Do our neighbours see Christ in us and do we exalt the name of Jesus in their presence ? PSALM 47 v 6-7 ; Sing praises to God, sing praises, sing praises unto our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth, sing you praises with understanding. PSALM 72 v 18-19 ; Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only do wondrous things. And blessed be His glorious name for ever, and let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and amen. Let us praise God that He sent Jesus Christ to Calvary to become our Redeemer. V 9. DEDICATION; Paul was not seeking an Olympic medal for he had a golden crown to look forward to when the rapture of Christ's church took place. He was a man completely dedicated to serving Jesus Christ and to see converted as many sinners as possible. PSALM 61 v 1-2 ; Hear my cry 0 God, attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto You, when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. PSALM 62 v 7-8 ; In God is my salvation and my glory, the Rock of my strength and my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people, pour out your heart before God is a refuge for us. Do we seek God as our refuge and completely trust in Him ? V 10. INTENTION . Paul was always happy when visiting groups of Christians. He was able to preach to them , impart spiritual gifts, and increase their knowledge of Jesus. Do we get joy and help from our fellowshipping with other Christians ? HEBREWS 10 v 24-25 ; And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works. Not

forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching. We have a need to encourage each other in the things of the Lord. V I 1. I MPARTATION. We too can receive spiritual gifts from the Holy Spirit to use for the glory of God.. I CORINTHIANS 12 v 4-6 ; Now there are diversities of gifts but by the same Spirit. And there are differences of administration but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations but it is the same God which works all in all. 12 v 28 ; And God has set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles then gifts of hearings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. There are so many major and minor gifts for us to use and they all have a place in God's plan for His people. Can you impart a little Christian love to someone in need ? V 12. COMMUNICATION. We need to have fellowship with other Christians. We have a God given ability to see, hear and speak. Let us not be dumb when an opportunity to witness for Jesus Christ comes our way. HEBREWS 13 v 5 ; Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as you have for He has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you. DEUTERONOMY 31 v 16 -17 ; And the Lord said to Moses, Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers and this people will rise up and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them and will forsake Me and break My covenant, which I have made with them. How foolish we would be to break our communication with God and forsake Mm. V 13. PARTICIPATION. We learn about God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit as we gather together to worship God and meditate upon the Holy Scriptures. As Christians we need the help of and compassion with each other and we all need encouragement and a feeling that we are useful and wanted among our friends. MATTHEW 28 v 19-20 Go you therefore and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things which I have commanded you and lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the world.. LUKE I v 1-4 ; Forasmuch as many have taken to hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us. Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word. It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you in order most excellent Theophilus. That you might know the certainty of those things wherein you have been instructed. How quickly the gospel of Christ became known far and wide, All because people were ready and willing to talk about it to others. V 14. OBLIGATION. Paul called himself the chief of sinners, because he had been persecuting the early Christians. When he was converted he put just as much energy into his Christian fife and with the indwelling Holy Spirit did an enormous amount of preaching, teaching, writing to the churches of his day, and encouraging all the new Christians. JOHN 3 v 16-17 ; For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. The Apostle Paul suffered great hardship and imprisonment but he bore it all cheerfully. He was surely so amazed that after all he had done to hurt the early Christians, God forgave him through the Lord Jesus Christ. As we pause for a moment and meditate upon all that we have been forgiven when we became Christians, We should be willing to serve God to our fullest extent and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit live the Christ like life to the glory of God. V 15. PREPARATION; The Apostles were ever ready to preach and teach about the Lord Jesus Christ. whenever they found someone willing to listen. 2 TIMOTHY 4 v 1-2 ; Preach the word, be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears , V 5 ; But watch you in all

things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of your ministry. If your name is written in the Lamb's book of life, may it not have "Lukewarm" written along side it. V 16. ADORATION; As Paul grew into the things of the Spirit, he began to, show his adoration for Jesus, He called himself the bondservant of Jesus. and made the most of his opportunities to preach Christ crucified and risen from the dead. PSALM 104 v I ; Bless the Lord 0 my soul, 0 Lord my God, You are very great. You are clothed with honour and majesty. PSALM 105 v 14 ; 0 give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the people. Sing unto Him , sing psalms unto Him. talk you of all His wondrous works. Glory you in His holy name, let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lord and His strength, seek Ms face evermore. If the athletes for the Olympic games are willing to train for hours every day in the hopes of winning that gold medal we as Christians should be willing to study the word of God regularly and work in God's vineyard to a get that golden crown. V 17. SALVATION. Repentance for past sins, forgiveness by God and acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Redeemer is the start of salvation. we need to increase our faith and activities in Jesus. ROMANS I v 16-17 ; For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes to the Jew first and also to the Greek.. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written, the just shall live by faith. EPHESIANS 2 v 8-10 ; For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourself it is the gift of God, Not of works lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them. V 18, MANIFESTATION. Paul now changes his line of thought and talks about those people who reject Christ and His teachings and cling to their own lusts. 2 CORINTHIANS 6 v 14 ; Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness. And what communion has light with darkness ? These people were not going to be allowed to go into the promised land after their earlier refusal to obey God.. There was no forgiveness asked or given and they died in the wilderness. Their names would come out of the book of life as they had been at one time in grace and favour with God. Such people as Adam and Eve, Cain, the three thousand men who worshipped the golden calf, Aaron's two sons. the men who gave their seed to Molech , twenty four thousand men who committed adultery in Moab,, and were beheaded by God, King Saul who sinned against God and finally committed suicide, Korah and two hundred and fifty princes who railed against Moses, Jeroboam, Achan, Judas Iscariot, Annanias and Sapphira, satan and the rebellious angels were all at one time in grace and a good relationship with God. Their names would have been written in the book of life. and deleted following their sins. DEUTERONOMY 28 v 45-47 ;Moreover all these curses shall come upon you, and shall pursue you and overtake you, until you are destroyed because you hearkened not to the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. And these shall be upon you for a sign and a wonder and upon your seed for ever. because you served not the Lord your God with joyfulness., and with gladness of heart., for the abundance of all things. DEUTERONOMY 31 v 16 ; And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers, and these people will rise up and go awhoring after the gods of the strangers of the land. whither they go to be among them and will forsake Me, and break My covenant which I have made with them. JOSHUA 24 v 20, If you forsake the Lord and serve strange gods then He will turn and do you hurt, and consume you after that He has done you good. JEREMIAH 17 v 5. Thus says the Lord, cursed be the man that trusts in flesh and makes flesh his arm and whose heart departs from the Lord.. EZEKIEL 20 v 13 ; But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness , they walked not in My statutes, and they despised My judgements, which if a man do he shall live in them, and My Sabbaths they greatly polluted; then I said I would pour out My fury upon them in the wilderness to consume them. NUMBERS 15 v 31 ; Because he has despised the word of the Lord and has broken His commandment

that soul shall utterly be cut off, his iniquity shall be upon him. The Israelites had an on again off again relationship with God. When they worshipped Hi h blessed them and when they rejected His statutes and worshipped foreign gods he dealt with them harshly, When they committed these sins their names would be removed from the book of fife. JOSHUA 23 v 16 ;When you have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them, then shall the anger of the Lord be kindled against you and you shall perish quickly off the good land which He has given to you. I KINGS 14 v 22-24 ; And Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked Mm to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done, also built themselves high places and images and groves on every high hill. And under every green tree . And there were also Sodomites in the land and did all the abominations of the nations which the Lord cast out before the children of Israel. V 22. DECEPTION, Sin starts just one short step at a time and gains momentum if we do not resist the temptation.. We are drawn away from Jesus Christ by our own lusts and coldness of heart towards the Scriptures. PSALM 9 v 17 ; The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. PSALM 98 v 28 ; Let them be blotted out of the book of the living and not be written with the righteous. I JOHN I v 7-9 ; But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. v 23 , CONSTERNATION. These people went down into the depths of degradation with no desire to believe in Jesus, They destroyed themselves and booked their passage into a lost eternity. ISAIAH 66 v 23-24 ; And it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, says the Lord. And they shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against Me, for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. Despite all the warnings and preaching people seem quite happy to indulge in the worst of sins , trying to push aside the penalties that await them on the day of accounting. But the reality and consternation that awaits them is almost indescribable. V 24, REJECTION. People who meditate upon the Scriptures are well aware of the dangers of the sins mentioned in this chapter, There is pain and sorrow as a result of such indulgence. Their is a heavy price to pay for rejecting God's gift, the Lord Jesus Christ. DEUTERONOMY 8 v 19-20 ; And it shall be if you do at all forget the Lord your God, and walk after other gods, and serve them and worship them I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. As the nations which the Lord destroys before your face , so shall you perish, because you would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God.. ISAAC I v 28 ; And the destruction of the transgressors shall be together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed.. V 25 ; DEGRADATION. Paul starts off here with "Who changed the truth of God into a lie," When that happens these people fall into the satanic way of life as described in this chapter., Things were so bad that God gave them up and let them suffer on earth and in due time for eternity. GALATIANS 4 v 9 But now, after that you have known God, or rather are known of God how turn you again to the weak and beggarly elements whereunto you desire again to be in bondage.? V 26. PERSISTENCE. These people would not be halted in their downward rush into apostasy and abominations. They were going all the way into that which angered God, and He would deal with them in due course. JUDE V 5 ; I will therefore put you in remembrance though you once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt afterwards destroyed them that believed not. ABOMINATION . These people went as far as they could go into the very centre of abominations and no doubt were thinking up new acts of sin to perform. Today these people have annual street marches to show the onlookers men dressed as women and women with little clothing, Lesbians and homosexuals all happily

waving to the onlookers. All waiting for the judgement of God to fall upon them. I TIMOTHY 4 v 1-2 Now the Spirit speaks expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. Speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron. No wonder Paul urged the Christians to stand fast in the gospel of Jesus Christ. V 28 -29; DESERTION; These people deserted God and had no time for Jesus. A short list is given of these abominations that take a man's name out of the book of life, for God will have no sin in heaven.. Galatians 5 v 19-21 also gives some works of the flesh. For a start these sins go by unnoticed being done in the hidden places, As sinners become more bold so people begin to see the change in the sinner's character I JOHN 5 v 16-17 If any man see his brother sin a sin that is not unto death, he shall ask and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. . There is a sin unto death, I do not say that should pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not unto death. If we see someone out of touch with God we should quietly try to restore that person to God. V 30. OPPOSITION In complete defiance with the laws of God , This when the sinner is caught up in a web of sin of his own making. GALATIANS 5 v 16-17 This I say then, walk in the Spirit and you shall not walk in the lusts of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh, and these things are contrary to each other. so that you cannot do the things that you would. Let us remember that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. So let us keep on guard against the false doctrines and evilness that is shown us. V 31 . CONDEMNATION. Having reached the place of no return . unable to seek forgiveness and not wanting it, Seeking fellowship with other likeminded people and paying the penalty for it. 2 PETER 2 v 20 'For if after they have escaped the pollution's of the world, through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. However there is joy and peace for those who stand fast in Jesus Christ. ROMANS 8 v 1; There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.