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Let's pray together.

Father, it feels epic making almost to end Romans 1 to 8,

with an overview and prepare to move on

at this juncture in our church when we're about to be two Sunday morning worshiping

congregations, one church, one God, one Lord, one Spirit, one faith, one baptism, one vision to spread a passion

for your supremacy in all things, for the joy of all peoples. It feels weighty to me

to try to say this message in one sermon. And so I ask for your help that the message of Romans 1 to 8 would perhaps do the work it was designed to do this morning when perhaps it

has not done it for four and a half years for some and so Lord come and help me be here in power to open the eyes of the

blind and the ears of the deaf to lift the veil and to give joy in Christ.

Protect us now from Satan and all of his fiery darts. We lift the shield of faith over this congregation

and hold fast to the promise that in overflowing anger for a moment you may hide your face from us but with everlasting love you will have compassion on us.

In Jesus, I pray, Amen.

Paul wrote the letter to the Romans

to mobilize the church for his mission to Spain.

Chapter 15, verse 24, says,

I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain and to be helped on my journey there by you.

He'd never been to Rome, he didn't know these people, they didn't know him except perhaps by the hearing of the ear.

And so, since he wants Rome to be his base of operations for the mission to the unreached peoples of Spain,

he tells them what his gospel is.

Know that all of our missionaries would know and preach the book of Romans.

Oh, that we as ascending church would know Romans and live Romans and love Romans and thus send our missionaries the way Paul wanted to be sent by the

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