Soul Rejoice

Click here for audio Two old men are standing on top of the wall of the city. They are squinting their failing eyes against the glare of the sun, desperately scanning the fields surrounding the city. Suddenly, they hear a cry, “There! Over there!” Sure enough, they can just make out movement: someone coming over the farthest hill, running toward the city. As the runner draws closer, one of the men says, “That looks like the gait of a good man who brings good news.” The other man responds, “No. That is the running of one who has witnessed a horrible defeat. We must prepare ourselves for the worst.” As the two bicker back and forth, the runner draws ever nearer. After awhile, they see that the runner has his hands up to his mouth to amplify his shouts. The two men ask the woman next to them what he is shouting. The woman, with relief on her face, announces, “He is saying, ‘Gospel. Gospel. Good news. Good news.” Friends, we have the privilege of making this same announcement. “Gospel. Gos...

Click Here for Audio It has been well said that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is simple enough that a child can understand and believe it; and deep enough that no person can ever fully search it out. In the Epistle to the Romans, Paul sets forth a long explanation of the gospel.  We turn to spend some time studying Romans, because it is a systematic treatment of the Gospel. If our mission is to preach the gospel wherever we go, then we need to have a mastery of the gospel message: its origin, its content, its commandments, its results, its power, its life implications. We need to be convinced that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom 10:17). And we must ask with all distress, “How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?” (Rom 10:14).  The gospel is so on Paul’s heart that from the very first verse of Romans, Paul sets out to give us a fuller, deeper, richer understanding of the gospel. In verse 1, P...