Romans Chapter 6:7-9

Jesus has been raised from the dead. He is become the first of a great harvest of those who will reraise the life was the beginning of a great heart. The beginning of the great harvest.

Jesus is the firstfruits of the resurrection. So Jesus talked about being born again and then he was the demonstration of that power. So when he was resurrected from the dead he was and what you can be born again, and this is in fact prove positive will cross the bridge with David McGee Senior Pastor of the bricks near Winston-Salem, North Carolina. What's going Pastor David in the service as he continues in the book of Romans chapter 6 commentary actually from Rome the day to be talking about the book of Romans, a life changing experience has been change in life for 2000 years, and it could change her to grab your Bible sit down and listen close to the book of Romans together with me to the book of Romans in chapter 6 and again coming to you from Rome and what to do is talk a little bit about the Scriptures and also talk a little bit about the historical setting, because in the background. What you see is the Coliseum and that actually have a lot to do with Scripture and Christian history, let's go to Romans chapter 6.

Let's pick it up with a verse seven it says for he who has died has been freed from sin continuing the verse eight.

Now we died with Christ, we believe that we also live with him.

So now we've got another of those then statements that are common in the book of Romans verse nine knowing that Christ having been raised from the dead, dies no more death no longer has dominion over him again.

We got on these knowing statements we came across them in verse three we came across some of her sex and here again in verse nine he doesn't say hey if you think if you wander it says no, and it's no is in know for certain that like I know my name is David. I know when my birthday is I know Christ rate rose from the dead is not that I think he might or could be no. I know I know we need understanding that this is a knowledge that you can have. This isn't just some fairytale or folktale or something out. Romans 69 new living translation reads like this is we are sure of this because Christ rose from the dead, and he will never die again death no longer has any power over him. That's interesting were in the city with all the Caesars and the Boston Caesars and the statues and staffing.

It's interesting to me that people often question the life of Jesus whether he actually lived, or whether he actually died in it's kind of bizarre because there is more literary proof that Jesus Christ was born, lived, died and was resurrected, more literary proof. Julius Caesar ever live in yet if I walked around in his grounds and hate I don't. I'm not sure I believe that stuff about Julius Caesar and probably cart me off in the loony wagon so you know, the fact of the matter is there's historical fact to the life and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now it's getting interesting because I am not just out that the four Gospels.

Josephus was a Jewish historian recorded that Jesus was wrote that he was raped from the debt. There's also a Roman historian, petitioner, nothing, who wrote that again Jesus was raised from the dead, so the life lesson here. The fact that Jesus died and was raised from the dead is a recorded historical event.

Notice I included was raised from the dead. A lot of people are okay with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Yeah why believe he died in some some decent way died as a man, that of that he was resurrected in the prove in that that it was deity in this sacrifice for sins, was accepted, so that's important thing because a lot of liberal theologians and whatnot they will.

He was it was in a literal resurrection maybe fainted a little bit many came back or some like that he was literally dead and it was literally a resurrection now it's interesting because a lot of people they don't have a problem with the crucifixion they got a problem with the resurrection.

Why is that because it's a display of the power of God and understand that the resurrection is what really changes everything, because Jesus died and was raised from the dead and the Bible points out that death has no more power because Jesus Christ broke that. So as we look at this passage and this is not the Christ has been raised from the dead, dies no more death no longer has dominion over him, so he's got the power he's got the keys in Revelation chapter 1 verse 17 says this.

Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last time he who lives in was dead, and behold I am alive forevermore. Amen. I have the keys of Hades and of death. So this is a awesome awesome word picture here has the keys he can he can get. And he can when you have the keys. The something you have the power over when you have the keys to go in somewhere you have the power over keys really represent power be think about. Also, not verse in that reference in Revelation let me point out something because we we often hear that on the first and last and the alpha and omega in the Greek, but Jesus would've been speaking Greek you have been speaking Hebrew, he what he would've said as I am the Alpha and the top analysis really interesting. I think a little rabbit trail for just a second Caliph in the top it would use that because that's the first and the last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, but there's something in there that you might've missed not looking little more in depth with the Hebrew Hebrew. I left in the bait is a second word where we get our word for alphabet, but that word is very interesting because Todd met the sign or the covenant is what that word top top is where we actually get our word are TK we have our T which is the top which is more the Etruscan going back. Originally, the Hebrew before they went into the into Babylonian captivity. Understanding Hebrew is a picture languages like up Chinese Egyptian in the sense that it's a the picture stood for. Thanks.

Originally, the Hebrew was a picture language now after Babylon they they change language a little bit rounded them off squared them off so they were easier to write and read and whatnot they lost some of the picture so that were taught that that Hebrew top change the lock change significantly and we lost some of the word picture see again. We get our T you look at T's got the cross at the top site the way it was back then. The cross would've been as a small T and it would've been across.

This is the letter forms a word that means the sign or the covenant.

This is what's used in Ezekiel 9427 it says and the Lord said to him, go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem and put a mark that's toff on the four heads of the men who sigh and cry over all of the nominations are done within it to the others.

He said my hearing go after him through the city and kill, do not let your spare, nor let any, have pity, verse six, utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark again toff and begin at my sanctuary. So they began with the elders who went before the temple, so this word mark from that word toff from Moses to David the Daniel. This Todd was the sign or the covenant.

The promise if you will. So even the now off-topic first and last. He gives us his top sign of the common. In other words, when they anointed people in the Old Testament, they usually did it with the T.

In other words, it would take the anointing oil and we do that we do the cross anointing and the he prescription.

Obviously, that change what because the crops because across the T change the anointing with a that was chained also top the last letter is the video the falloff TV is top so the V what's that word picture of what the word picture originally for the involved was a nail was a name so then you have top, which is the cross you have the nail in the word itself means covenant in the middle we have the AA which is olive, which originally meant that the leader if you invert to a upside down, you'll see a box with the horns and then the head, that when you turn it over. You get our A top right in the middle. We know that Jesus was crucified in the middle. Since I filled with word pictures there with the toff now with the fact is, Jesus was born Jesus was crucified and Jesus came back like first Corinthians 1520 says this but the fact is that Jesus has been raised from the dead. He has become the first of a great harvest of those who will be raised to life again. It was the beginning of the great heart the beginning of the great heart. Jesus is the firstfruits of the resurrection.

Thank you for listening to cross a bridge with David McGee will return to David's teaching in just a moment the tragedy in Benghazi.

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Know your future be immune to terrorism know your future is available as a CD or DVD, and is our gift to you when you call today with a donation to cross the bridge ministries is because of your continued faithful support that were able to broadcast across the nation. With the life-changing word of God to help support cross a bridge and receive your CD or DVD copy of the know your future call 877-458-5508 or go online to cross the bridge.com friend. You have a heart for the lost. I invite you to send us the first names of your lost loved ones and we will have hundreds of people praying for them. Just go to cross a bridge.com and click on the prayer button and you will enter their name and if you put your name and email address in there. I'll send you free resources to equip you to pray and teach you how to reach your lost loved ones, please don't wait this is so important, so please again go to cross a bridge.com and click on the prayer button and send us the first names of lost loved ones will send you some free information and together we can partner to deliver the good news of Jesus Christ to the whole world. The whole book for the whole world. Now, let's return to pastor David's verse by verse teaching in the book of Romans and again coming to you from Ryan and and what to do is talk a little bit about the Scriptures and and also talk a little bit about the historical setting, because in the background. What you see is the Coliseum and they may think will what's the Coliseum have to do anything that I have anything to do with Christianity has a lot to do with Christianity now people are rewriting history now will tell you that no executions of Christians. No martyrdom took place in this probably see that on the Discovery Channel history channel that is historically inaccurate if the revisions revisionist are rewriting it will history because let us go backwards a little bit history room start about 750 BC with Romulus and Remus is kind of a legend, but these two twin brothers were nursed by the shewolf, then what happens is in this is going to be like a real succinct history, but that Romulus killed his brother to take the power and so we can set the time really for the city and that it was okay to kill somebody you're going to gain power. So the Roman really error was from about 500 BC to about 500 A.D. is about a thousand years. Verse 500 years. It was growing peak for the next 200 years in a state a client for the next 300 so 500 years to Julius Caesar about 500 BC to Julius Caesar about 45 BC. It was at was a Republic much like our government and United States. Our government is not a democracy.

Our government is a Republican that we hire people to to vote for snowbirds. We don't vote on everything on every item in every agenda. So a lot of their influence came over into our government is basically built on the Roman possibly well.

It was a Republic until Julius Caesar.

Julius Caesar came him. He was child break with a couple other guys and he kind of took leadership from them went to Gaul Romans were great engineers. He took out came back and he said you know and I'm to leave the country and named himself first among equals so to speak, and that he was named himself Emperor for life. So he comes in.

He's Emperor for life and now that begins the reign of the Empire of Rome if you will, for the next 500 so Julius Caesar named himself Empire for life.

That last about a year till his buddies figured out hey you know what were we just need to take them out and that's what they did in place not too far from here is where they burned them and cremated them if you well and Mark Anthony according to Shakespeare said have come not to praise Caesar but to bury him well for the next few years as a triangle rate of Mark Anthony, another man, Octavian and and and other guys the pedis or something like that. There's three guys rule for a little while Octavian then gets in a battle with Mark Anthony who has the backing of Cleopatra from Egypt they get the battle and then what happens is that Octavian gains power. Octavian renames himself against this Caesar Augustus now Julius Caesar thought it was important enough they named him month after him July.

Augustus thought the same thing. We get a month from August. So Augustus comes in. Now Augustus is the Octavian when he renamed himself a guess this is the Emperor who was in place at the birth of Jesus. And so we see in Luke chapter 2 verse one it says now it came to pass in those days of the decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered is talking about that want to talk about being registered with something which collecting taxes. Why was he collecting taxes well because of this setting that Augustus became known as somebody that turn the city into marble if you will, obviously, that took a lot of money.

How did the Romans do all these things well either two ways. Either they tax people are was just simply plunder from these places what they would they would conquer so one of the ways. Again was taxes so they declared taken taxes from these people in Judea that led to Mary and Joseph being where they were at the time so Augustus from about 31 to 14 A.D. after that Tiberius ruled from 14 A.D. to 37 A.D. Tiberius was the one who was rule and at the crucifixion we see that in Luke chapter 3 verse one intuits is now in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius serious.

Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea Caribbean tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of materia in the region of Conan's sin is tetrarch of Abilene so there again. The Bible's recording that Tiberius was Caesar now and mentally need to understand to is the Bible is a supernatural spiritual book. It's extremely accurate. Historically affect historians look to the Bible to see timelines and whatnot and through the two references I just gave you, we see the validation that Augustus was Emperor from up until 14 A.D. we see Tiberius came and so life lesson here is the Bible accurately records actual historic events and and it can be trusted. The Bible accurately records actual historical events and can be trusted now. After Tiberius came, Caligula, Caligula, only role for about four years was a bad guy and what happened. Caligula is actually the came in. The guards were just kinda set up with those weird orgies and stuff and so they actually murdered all of the Roman families that was one guy there that was related to him.

His name was Claudius. Claudius hid behind the curtain and he actually bribed the praetorian guards to declare him as emperor is a very unlikely candidate to be in Emperor, he had speech problems.

They say he also had a problem with one of his legs but because he bribed the guards.

He became emperor, but he had a real weakness as far as women went and and so what happened is he a he married this lady Agrippina who was the sister of Caligula. Now she was she was a very bad woman and what happened was she wanted power. So after a while he he married her.

She had a son from another man.

His name was Nero. Now 12 years old. She convinced Claudius to name Nero instead of his biological son. As Caesar so Nero comes in and and he is the next in line. Well guess what happened after she name Nero within a couple years he died from poisoning and course. She was probably guilty but she was such a powerful woman, she got away with it. And at 16 years old. Nero came in the power Nero comes in the power. Nero was a bad guy you probably heard historically how bad he was in a he he he did a lot of bad things and actually this downtown area. He claimed overtime 200 acres for himself, but how was he going to get access to that kind of property in the middle the town.

Well, he came up with a plan that is burning the city, so he set a fire. Historians are reasonably sure it was him who did it. Now he wouldn't of played a fiddle. He probably would've played a liar and that's what history accurately records as it he played this flyer while Rome burned and so Rome burned and then people got suspicious because he had this urban renewal plan.

So this is about 6064 6487 64 A.D. the fire happens.

He's got a problem.

He got a public relations problem if you will, is now people are suspicious that Nero and his urban renewal plan is you know going. He's responsible to fire his solution is blames the Christian he says it was. As Christians they hate people, and so because they hate people that come out now and they burned the city well the people waited out. They believe that was the next four years and contents persecution of Christians and 68 the people were fed up with Nero. He'd been a bad leader he was persecuting Christians, but if you were wealthy landowner downtown Rome you are in danger because Nero would come in and say hey you know I want your money. Special tax on you. I want your property and what it would do after took their senses and kill so it was a dangerous time, even though powerful senators and stuff is what would've been the upper echelon of society were were worried, so what happened, the guards chase Nero down before they could get to him.

They he decided to kill himself the help of the guard and he gloated he said all what an artist dies within me.

Not too far from here there is a place that he built the few thousand 200 acres of that was the end of the invention pretty much of the vaulted ceiling. They built that see lots of arches and it was basically built by taken are to move in and take an arching movement so that it got that vaulted ceiling which of course we still use today. Not Nero again was a bad guy. He actually to present to one of his wife's ahead of his former wife and then ended up kicking his pregnant wife to death while she was pregnant. So again bad guy ends up killing himself and so at that point Rome was pretty pretty tired of these types of rulers incomes the spacing which ties into this building behind the spacing came at 69 A.D. rule to about 79 A.D. now, he had been a leader Gen. governor in Judea and what we know is Israel today and he was the one that was launching the campaign to crush the rebellion of the Jewish people at that time and what happened is he established himself and establish yourself as a general gain a lot of power in your place in power is a Caesar. And so that's what happened with the space you need proven himself out in Judea. He came back here to 69 A.D. and took over. The Empire is the Emperor now. This patient was, like the anti-Nero. He was a leader of the people. If you will, and so first thing he did is he wanted to run through the damage that that Nero had done and so this area behind me had been Nero's swimming pool that's that's putting it lightly is more like a huge lake, man-made lake, and he felt that in any started to build this the Coliseum.

Now he started at about 72 A.D. he continued.

It took eight years to build. He actually didn't get to see the completion of it, but he started in 72 A.D. now here's the thing, in order to build something like this, you need a lot of money, a lot of energy, water resources, where did the energy in the resources for this come from well if you remember your history. Jesus had prophetically announced that the temple would be basically wiped flat Matthew 24 one into this is then Jesus went out and departed from the temple and his disciples came up to show him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, do you not see all these things assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down the temple and all the goods and the menorah. All these gold pieces. The Romans took from Jerusalem and so they took these things and that's actually what finance the building of the Coliseum.

Not only were those the those resources used to finance the work of the Coliseum, but 12,000 Jewish people, been captured during the revolt. The rebellion were the ones who worked on this and built this and so they work seven days a week. They didn't get on the Sabbath and understand the Shabbat so they work day and night to build this space in died in 79 natural causes kind of a rare thing for Caesar Titus is to took over and 80 A.D. and and that was when actually the Coliseum was completed.

Big deal, and 80 A.D. when it was completed, they celebrated with a sacrificing of 5000, and so the Coliseum was a free place for people to come in the morning they would have a man fighting beast. That afternoon they would have executions coming in at about noon time executions.

Whoever's can be executed. That's when a lot of Christians would've been killed. Again, it's hard to imagine that they were executing a lot of Christians and they weren't executing them in the Coliseum, which had daily executions so that's what this has to do the prophetic fulfillment of what Jesus hate the temple is going to be torn down to be left to the resources of the temple is what this is probably the most significant.

Obviously the most visual of all these ruins in room was built by the things that were taken from the temple built by Jewish slaves for those eight years. Friend, you know for sure that your sins have been forgiven. You can know right now only Legion a short simple prayer simply telling God you're sorry and asking him to help you to live for him.

Please pray this prayer with me out loud right now. Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven and I believe you were raised from the dead that I could have a new life not done wrong things I have sent and I'm sorry. Please forgive me of all those things. Please give me the power to live for you. All of my days in Jesus name, amen friend of you prayed that prayer according to the Bible you've been forgiven you've been born again.

So congratulations you just made the greatest decision that you will ever make. God bless you if this was your first time praying that prayer with Pastor David we would love to hear from you.

You can call us toll-free at 877-458-5508 to receive our first steps package with helpful resources to help you begin your walk with Christ. Also, if you been blessed by cross a bridge ministries would you consider supporting us with a financial gift when you call with your gift. Make sure to ask them about this month's special offer entitled know your future be immune to terrorism. This insightful teaching will fill you with hope and also help you understand the truth about Islam donate today and will send you a CD or DVD copy right away as a way of saying thank you for your support. Our number is 877-458-5508 677458508 or go online to cross a bridge.com. While there, take a moment to sign up for David's free email devotional or browser large library of teaching again. Our website is cross a bridge.com. Thank you for listening and we hope will join us again next time.

As we continue to cross the bridge