In our series on the book of Romans we have arrived now at verse 16 and the text is for

today I am not ashamed of the gospel that's the way the Lord set it up way a long time ago

and those are the words I want to preach on this morning.

These verses, verses 16 and 17 of Romans and I invite you to open your Bibles to Romans chapter 1 verse 16 these two verses chapter 16 chapter 1

chapter 1 16 and 17 are the the thesis statement of the gospel I mean the whole book of Romans. And so it'll be fitting

that we linger with verse 16 for three sermons at least I think for this verse and probably two for verse 17

before we move beyond them into the rest of Romans 1. These are huge verses. They are very, very important verses. Let me just read

verse 16 with you. It's a very familiar verse. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God

for salvation to everyone who believes to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

So one message today will be on I'm not ashamed.

Another message will be on how it's the power of God under salvation for everyone who believes and the third message will be

on why does he say to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Three messages on this verse over the next three weeks.

So today the focus is on the words, for I am not ashamed of the gospel. You notice the little word for at the beginning which links it logically with the preceding eagerness to preach the gospel to those who are in Rome.

And you can see it's very plain.

It doesn't take any great mental ability to see why this verse 16 supports verse 15 I am eager to come and preach to you

who are in Rome the gospel because I'm not ashamed of it.

That's the link.

I'm not ashamed of it.

So I want to begin by asking this question.

And there are a lot of children in the room,

so I want the children to tune in right now because you may be

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