Insight into a Missionary Heart – Pt. 4
Romans 1:16-17
August 12, 2007
We have been looking at this great missionary named Paul,
And have been getting an inside look at what it means to be a missionary.
A missionary is one who is thankful to God…
A missionary is one who rejoices in the faithfulness of others…
A missionary is one who is eager to go…
A missionary desires to see Christians grow…
A missionary desires to grow himself…
A missionary desires to grow God’s kingdom…
A missionary has a deep sense of duty…
And a missionary responds positively to that duty…
And just by looking at verses 7-15, we learn a great deal
About what it means to have a missionary heart.
BUT IF A PERSON HAS ALL OF THOSE ATTRIBUTES
IN THE GREATEST MEASURE,
BUT DOES NOT HAVE THIS FINAL ATTRIBUTE,
THEY ARE NOT A MISSIONARY OF GOD.
Tonight we look at the DOCTRINE of a missionary.
We’ve seen his description…
We’ve seen his desire…
We’ve seen his duty…
But without this final attribute,
It is impossible to be the missionary that God intended.
WHY?
Because the message is the most important element.
A FALSE PROPHET OFTEN LOOKS THE PART
A false prophet will fake thankfulness…
A false prophet may even have desire…
A false prophet will certainly rejoice over numerical growth…
A false prophet may even have a sense of duty…
But it is the message that sets men apart.
A false prophet speaks a message which ultimately leads to destruction.
A true missionary speaks a message which ultimately leads to salvation.
AND SO DOCTRINE IS IMPORTANT.
Even Jesus concluded His great commission with:
Matthew 28:20 “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
So tonight, I want to show you the final attribute of the missionary heart.
HIS DOCTRINE
And we will break this down again into two points.
#1 HIS CONFESSION
Romans 1:16
This is probably my favorite verse in the Bible (at least it is tonight).
Probably because it so perfectly describes what is so drastically needed.
Paul just made a tremendous statement in verse 15.
Romans 1:15 “So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.”
And you need to know , WHAT AN AMAZING STATEMENT THAT WAS.
There are many who might be willing to preach the gospel,
But to be eager to do so is a strange thing.
And it might seem even more so for Paul.
John MacArthur writes:
“Paul was imprisoned in Philippi, chased out of Thessalonica, smuggled out of Damascus and Berea, laughed at in Athens, considered a fool in Corinth, and declared a blasphemer and lawbreaker in Jerusalem. He was stoned and left for dead at Lystra. Some pagans of Paul’s day branded Christianity as atheism because it believed in only one God and as being cannibalistic because of a misunderstanding of the Lord’s Supper.” (MacArthur, John: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary; Romans 1-8; Moody Press 1991; pg. 50)
You can see why it is strange
That Paul would have been eager to preach in Rome.
I would have expected him to have more of the mindset of Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 20:7-9 “O LORD, You have deceived me and I was deceived; You have overcome me and prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; Everyone mocks me. For each time I speak, I cry aloud; I proclaim violence and destruction, Because for me the word of the LORD has resulted In reproach and derision all day long. But if I say, “I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name,” Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot endure it.”
And if we had endured anything like Jeremiah, or Paul,
We might find our mindset similar to that.
Many have…
Remember Timothy?
2 Timothy 1:8 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,”
2 Timothy 1:13-14 “Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.”
2 Timothy 2:8-10 “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel, for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned. For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.”
WE CAN IDENTIFY WITH TIMOTHY
AND EVEN UNDERSTAND WHY
But yet Paul said he was eager.
Beyond the personal struggles of his ministry,
Paul also had to know that the message he was preaching
Was no easy message to swallow.
Paul required men to deny themselves, and forsake their good works.
He called men to genuine humility and brokenness
And most of all trust in Jesus Christ.
This message was widely unpopular.
1 Corinthians 1:22-23 “For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,”
The Jews saw that message as a stumbling block, not believing that God would actually allow Himself to die on a cross.
The Gentiles thought it was a stupid idea all the way around.
Yet Paul was eager to preach the gospel.
WHY?
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel,”
“ashamed” translates EPAISCHUNOMAI
(ep-ahee-skhoo-nom-ahee)
And it literally means to have shame upon yourself.
…to have embarrassment on you for what you do.
You see everywhere Paul went, he was derided for what he did.
Everywhere he went he was made fun of or ridiculed.
The people continually shamed him.
But Paul basically said, none of that shame sticks to me.
I refuse to be ashamed of the gospel.
AND THAT IS A ENCOURAGING STATEMENT.
Because we know that the world
Will seek to attach shame to us for preaching the gospel.
“You shouldn’t have said that…”
“Who are you to say that…”
Sometimes that ridicule even comes from the church community.
“If you preach about hell and judgment, people will not come and listen…”
They sound eerily familiar to the naysayers in Isaiah’s day.
Isaiah 30:9-11 “For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who refuse to listen To the instruction of the LORD; Who say to the seers, “You must not see visions”; And to the prophets, “You must not prophesy to us what is right, Speak to us pleasant words, Prophesy illusions. “Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”
Or to the unbelievers in Amos’s day.
Amos 7:10-13 “Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent word to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is unable to endure all his words. “For thus Amos says, ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.'” Then Amaziah said to Amos, ” Go, you seer, flee away to the land of Judah and there eat bread and there do your prophesying! “But no longer prophesy at Bethel, for it is a sanctuary of the king and a royal residence.”
Both in Judah and in Israel, the people did not want to hear a message of repentance and judgment and so they were derided for it.
And although Paul faced the same difficulty,
Paul refused to be ashamed of the gospel.
John MacArthur continued his discourse:
“But the Jewish religious leaders of Jerusalem did not intimidate Paul, nor did the learned and influential pagans at Ephesus, Athens, and Corinth. The apostle was eager now to preach and teach the gospel in Rome, the capital of the pagan empire that ruled virtually all the known world. He was never deterred by opposition, never disheartened by criticism, and never ashamed, for any reason, of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Although that gospel was then, and still is today, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, it is the only way God has provided for the salvation of men, and Paul was both overjoyed and emboldened by the privilege of proclaiming its truth and power wherever he went.” (ibid.)
Paul told the Romans he felt no shame for doing what he did.
And then he tells them why.
“for it is the power of God”
Now focus on that statement for just a moment.
“power” translates DUNAMIS
It is God’s miraculous power.
THINK ABOUT GOD’S POWER.
The power to speak this world into existence…
The power to part the Red sea…
The power to draw water from a rock…
The power to walk on water…
The power to calm a storm…
The power to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead…
GOD IS POWERFUL
In fact, we say He is Omnipotent. (all powerful)
I want you to see that because Paul says,
That all of that power is bound up in something:
THE GOSPEL
Talk about having the power of God at your fingertips!!
THERE IS A WHOLE MOVEMENT TODAY
MESMERIZED BY GOD’S MIRACULOUS POWER.
They are constantly looking for ways to unlock God’s power in their lives.
PAUL SAYS VERY CLEARLY WHERE GOD’S POWER IS.
“the gospel” – “it is the power of God”
All of God’s power is found in the preaching of His word.
That is where His greatest power is manifested.
And Paul even takes it a step further,
In revealing the purpose of God’s power.
“for it is the power of God for salvation”
WHY DOES GOD REVEAL HIS POWER?
To lead men to salvation.
If you want, you can get carried away
By all sorts of signs and wonders and miracles.
But do not forget the greatest miracle in the Bible
Is the one Jesus did more than any other.
THE MIRACLE OF SALVATION.
I’ve showed you before.
Mark 6:1-6 “Jesus went out from there and came into His hometown; and His disciples followed Him. When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.” And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He wondered at their unbelief.”
The miracle of salvation.
That has always been the greatest miracle of God.
There is only one way to unlock that miracle,
And it is the gospel.
“it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
Paul will feel no shame for preaching the gospel,
Because it is the power through which God works the miracle of salvation.
But that verse also teaches us another valuable truth.
THE MIRACLE OF SALVATION CANNOT OCCUR
WITHOUT THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL.
Because “it is the power of God for salvation to EVERYONE who believes”
And let me see if I can make that a little clearer to you.
There are two misconceptions floating around our Christian world today.
1) You can love people into the Kingdom
People think if you just love people enough, that sooner or later, they will come to you and want to respond to your love by becoming a Christian.
Certainly you should love people, but if the world can nail Jesus to a cross, don’t expect a great response to your love either.
2) Your silent good works are enough to draw people to salvation
We hear this all the time. Live so that they will want what you have.
Certainly you should live that way, but the fact is, not every sinner really wants to be righteous.
DO YOU KNOW WHY THOSE ARE FALSE?
Because the gospel is the power of God for salvation.
Romans 10:14-15 “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!”
The reason we want to believe that just loving people is enough…
The reason we want to believe that our good works is enough…
Is because we are lazy, and are constantly looking for another way To lead men into the kingdom
Apart from having to preach the gospel to them.
The gospel is offensive…
The gospel is divisive…
The gospel brings reproach…
And because we do not share Paul’s eagerness, we want another way.
BUT THERE IS NO OTHER WAY
“for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
Paul’s confession was a simple one.
He is eager to preach the gospel, because he is not ashamed of it, and because if he preaches it, he holds the power that will lead men to salvation.
AND DO WE EVER NEED A CONFESSION LIKE THIS
IN OUR CHURCHES TODAY.
Churches are ever increasingly becoming “Ashamed of the Gospel”
More and more Bible preaching is being reduced
And entertainment is being increased.
“Taste’s Great; Less Filling”
Seems to be the new cry of the congregation.
Give us something that goes down smooth,
And won’t keep us here too long.
I hope from this verse you can see the tragic effects of this mindset.
I love music, (Leo does a great job)
I enjoy videos, (some move my heart)
I like fellowship
BUT NONE OF THOSE COMES WITH A PROMISE OF POWER.
ONLY THE GOSPEL
Isaiah 55:10-11 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”
Jeremiah 23:28-29 “The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has My word speak My word in truth. What does straw have in common with grain?” declares the LORD. “Is not My word like fire?” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock?”
I want to say that my confession is the same as Paul’s confession.
I am not ashamed to preach the gospel.
I am not ashamed of it’s content…
I am not ashamed of the length of a sermon.
I am eager to preach, for it is the power of God for salvation.
That was Paul’s confession.
#2 HIS CONVICTION
Romans 1:17
Paul just gave us a theological masterpiece in one verse
About the gospel and it’s power for salvation.
Paul just said, that the gospel and the gospel alone
Was the power of God for salvation and that for everyone.
But let’s go deeper and ask WHY?
That is precisely the answer Paul gives.
“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed”
“revealed” translates
APOKALUPTO
(ap-ok-al-oop-to)
“to take the cover off”
In order for men to be saved,
They must come into contact with the righteousness of God.
Only the righteousness of God can reveal the depravity
Of the sinful heart.
THIS IS THE DANGER OF THE
“DRAW THEM THROUGH YOUR GOOD WORKS” APPROACH.
In order for that to work, you must live perfectly righteous, without flaw,
So as to convict their sinful lifestyle.
If men are to be saved,
They must be so overcome with their sin and shame
That they are led to a point of brokenness and humility,
That leads them to cry out to God for salvation.
YOU CANNOT GET PEOPLE SAVED IF THEY ARE NOT LOST
And there is only one thing that will do that.
There is only one thing that will reveal God’s righteousness,
And that is the gospel.
Hebrews 4:12-13 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”
It is the gospel that reveals God’s holiness.
It is the gospel that reveals man’s wickedness.
The gospel pulls back the curtain, and takes the cover off.
The gospel pulls back the veil.
GO HOME TONIGHT AND READ THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.
THERE IS NO PLACE TO HIDE.
That is why Paul affirms the importance of preaching the word of God to the church at Corinth.
1 Corinthians 14:24-25 “But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you.”
If you leave out the gospel, you have no way
To convict a man’s heart to the point of repentance.
“in it the righteousness of God is revealed”
And then Paul makes a most interesting statement.
“from faith to faith”
“faith” translates
PISTIS
“assurance or conviction”
If you preach the gospel, it leads from conviction to conviction.
Now I have many times struggled with that statement, wondering what it could mean, but tonight I believe I have it.
The first conviction is yours, the second conviction is theirs.
If you will have enough faith (i.e. conviction) to preach the gospel, Then it will work to lead them to faith (i.e. conviction).
It enforces what Paul said in verse 16, “it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”
If you will exercise enough conviction to preach the gospel
With perseverance and commitment, regardless of the opposition,
It will work to lead men to saving faith in Christ.
It will work to lead men to righteousness.
It will work to lead men to holiness.
“as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”
And Paul’s point is that if you lead them to faith,
Then you have led them to righteousness and salvation
Because man is justified by faith.
HERE IS THE POINT
The gospel is the only way of leading the lost to salvation.
It must be preached.
Sin must be exposed.
Submission must be enforced.
The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus…
The deity and humanity of Jesus…
There is no way around it.
DO NOT BE ASHAMED OF IT.
Don’t leave out your doctrine.
A missionary is powerless without it.
Jeremiah 23:28-29 “The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has My word speak My word in truth. What does straw have in common with grain?” declares the LORD. “Is not My word like fire?” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock?”
