The Gospel in a Nutshell
Romans 1:3-7
July 29, 2007

Two weeks ago, we began a study of Paul’s letter to the Romans.
The reason, as I told you then, is to help us better understand the gospel.

There are many in our churches even today,
Who do not understand the gospel, and could not share it.

As we went on our Men’s Retreat
The last night we began to visit about what true salvation is.

And we realized that in the room of ten men.
7 of us had made child hood professions that were not genuine.
7 of us were truly saved later in life.

That is not to say children cannot be saved.
But the point became apparent to us all.

There has spread throughout our churches a dangerous problem.

MANY IN CHURCHES HAVE FAILED TO TAKE THE TIME
TO TRULY UNDERSTAND THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL.
As a result, people are preaching an incomplete gospel message, And people are responding to this incomplete gospel message.

We are studying Romans to learn the message of the gospel,
So that we may accurately apply it to our own lives,
And then accurately preach it to others.

For a church that is confused about the gospel, is in a world of hurt.

WHY?
Romans 1:16 “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.”

Romans 10:14 “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?”

It is apparent, we must be accurate in regards to the gospel.

We have already seen two points about the gospel.
“The Preacher of the Gospel” (verse 1)
“The Promise of the Gospel” (verse 2)

This morning we take the next step,
And take a brief look at what the gospel really is.

I want to give you “The Gospel in a Nut Shell”.

And there are three things we see here in these 5 verses.
#1 THE PERSON OF THE GOSPEL
Romans 1:3-4

let’s break this point down into two points.

1) THE SUBJECT (3a)
“concerning His Son”

These three words set the boundaries and parameters
By which we measure everything that claims to be the gospel.

If it is the gospel, then it is about Jesus.

If you desire to be a preacher of the gospel, then that means you are a preacher of Jesus, for the gospel is about Him.

It seems our churches, our pulpits, even our daily conversations, Are filled with all sorts of topics,
But if it is not concerning Jesus, it is not the gospel.

Remember what Paul said?
1 Corinthians 9:16 “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.”

But in that letter Paul had already said something else.
1 Corinthians 2:1-2 “And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”

Paul had already said that he preached, “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” Later he said, “woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.”

He had also already said:
1 Corinthians 1:17 “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.”

To Paul, preaching Jesus was preaching the gospel,
And he would be a fool to stray from that.

But it seems like we continually stray from that.
Much of our evangelism today has become
Surface, superficial, light hearted, pleasant, and ineffective.

That style of religious flattery and attraction is eternally ineffective, because the calling of the gospel is not to make friends.
The calling of the gospel is to make disciples.
Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

The point is that when we go, we must preach Jesus.
We are not just inviting people to church…
We are not just trying to make people feel comfortable…
We are telling people they must fully submit their lives to Jesus Christ.

The gospel is all about Jesus.
Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

If it’s not about Jesus, then it’s not the gospel.
For the gospel is “concerning His Son”.

But let’s dig a little deeper than that.

We see the subject
2) THE SPECIFICS (3b-4)
“who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,”

It is true that the gospel is about Jesus,
But today (as we have noted) there are people
Who preach a different Jesus than the Biblical Jesus.

So Paul gets a little more specific about the Jesus that we are preaching.
Now these two specifics do not focus so much on what He did,
But on who He is.

If you fail to correctly understand who He is,
Then what He did loses it’s power.

So Paul wants you to see specifically who He is.
“who was born a descendant of David according to the flesh”

Now let’s just take that statement at face value.
When Jesus was born, He was born in the kingly line of David.

In that, it is apparent, that Jesus was a human (he was born),
And that He has the right to set upon the throne of Israel.

If you look at the two different lineages of Jesus.
Matthew 1 is Joseph’s lineage…
Luke 3 is Mary’s lineage…
You will find that Jesus was of David’s line from both His parents.
Jesus is the rightful King, and Jesus was fully human.

He knows what it is like to be a human.
He knows our pain, He knows our frustrations, He knows our joys.

And that is important to understand.
Hebrews 2:17-18 “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”

He faced temptation…
He faced tragedy…
He suffered pain…
He experienced death…

He was fully human.
But that is not the only thing Paul wants you to realize.

(4) “who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,”

Of course, after Jesus died, 3 days later, He rose from the dead.
John 2:19-21 “Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body.”

In John 2 Jesus laid down the challenge,
In John 20 Jesus put His money where His mouth was.

He stepped out of His own tomb.
And when this happened Paul said it revealed something.
“who was declared the Son of God with power”

That word “Son” translates HUIOS (hwee-os)

An interesting fact, if you could read John’s gospel in the Greek.
He never uses this word to describe anyone but Jesus.

When speaking of other humans he always uses the word TEKNON

Now here is the difference.

TEKNON gives prominence to the fact of birth.
(This child was born a child of their parent.)

HUIOS does not stress birth, but rather the character of the relationship.

A TEKNON is the child of the father, a HUIOS is just like his father.
(“A chip off the old block”)

WHICH IS WHAT WE LEARN OF JESUS.
He was NOT born of God as we are. Jesus was BORN GOD.

Hebrews 1:1-3 “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

Colossians 1:15 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”

And that is why Jesus would say to Thomas.
John 14:9 “Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

The message of the gospel is that Jesus is fully God.
And just in case you had trouble grasping that,
Paul says there is one event that should solidify it.

“was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead”

“power” translates DUNAMIS
It is where we get our word for dynamite.

In other words, the resurrection is extremely powerful evidence
That Jesus is indeed God.

That helps us see who Jesus is.
He is fully man, He is fully God.

He is so much man that He can identify with us,
And so much God that He can save us.

It is the mystery and the miracle of the incarnation.
God veiled in Humanity

Matthew 1:21-23 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.”

And this is the person of the gospel.
He is the subject of our preaching.

We can talk about all sorts of good things,
But if our preaching is not saturated with the God Man, Jesus Christ, Then we are not preaching the gospel.
He is the Person of the gospel, it is all about Him.

But the gospel is not just informative in nature.
It’s not just meant to serve as an encyclopedia.
The gospel is also loaded with purpose.

There is a reason why the gospel preaches Jesus.

#2 THE PURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL
Romans 1:5

Now Paul begins this verse again explaining to you
WHY HE IS PREACHING THE GOSPEL.

“through whom we have received grace and apostleship”

In other words, it is Jesus who gave us “grace” (ability)
And “apostleship” (authority) to preach this message.
Jesus Himself had commissioned the apostles to carry this message.

BUT WHAT WAS IT’S PURPOSE?
“to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,”

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL?

Immediately someone would say “obedience”.
That is a noble answer, but that is not the purpose of the gospel.

Someone would then work their way down the verse and say, “faith”.
That too is a noble answer, but still not the purpose of the gospel.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL?
The glory of Jesus.

Paul does all that he does “for His name’s sake.”

The purpose of preaching the gospel,
Is so that Jesus will be glorified.

It is our desire to exalt, and glorify Jesus more than any other,
And to do that, we preach the gospel.

WELL HOW DOES THE GOSPEL GLORIFY JESUS?
It leads to faith.

Romans 1:16-17 “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. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”
Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

The gospel leads to faith, AND WHAT DOES FAITH LEAD TO?
Obedience.

In fact, if faith doesn’t have obedience,
Then the Bible tells us it is not real faith.
James 2:18-26 “But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”

We applaud the men of old for their great faith, and rightly so.
But if Noah hadn’t built the boat, would his faith have been real?
If Abraham hadn’t left Ur, would his faith have been real?
If Moses hadn’t left Egypt..?
If Rahab hadn’t hung the scarlet cord…?
If Joshua hadn’t marched around the wall..?

If you don’t obey..?
If you don’t follow..?

You see, faith without works is dead.
That is also why Jesus used obedience
As the chief criteria and evidential fruit of saving faith.

Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell — and great was its fall.”

Romans 2:12-13 “For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.”

That is why Paul calls it here “the obedience of faith”

And it is this obedience by all men that brings glory to Jesus.
WHICH IS THE PURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL
Isaiah 49:5-6 “And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him (For I am honored in the sight of the LORD, And My God is My strength), He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

That is the purpose of the gospel.

It is NOT to make this church bigger…
It is NOT simply to allow people to go to heaven…

The purpose of the gospel is to turn sinful, wicked, obstinate people Into obedient, submissive, devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

THAT THEN BRINGS GLORY TO JESUS.

THIS IS ANOTHER WAY THE GOSPEL GETS PERVERTED.
First, a perverted gospel messages
Says nothing all about who Jesus is,
But secondly it doesn’t require saving faith;
The kind of faith that is evidenced by obedience.

We seem to think that if we talk about heaven, and forgiveness,
And then tell people to accept it,
That we have preached the gospel, and we are making converts.

WRONG!

A true convert is measured by their love and obedience to Jesus Christ.
If they have not left a life of sin and turned to follow Jesus,
You have not made a disciple.

The purpose of the gospel is simple.
“to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake.”

So first, the person of the gospel
Second, the purpose of the gospel
#3 THE PEOPLE OF THE GOSPEL
Romans 1:6-7

And here is where Paul gets personal.
For he wants the Romans to know that he is not just telling them to examine their preaching, but to first examine their lives.

“among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;”

WHAT DOES HE MEAN “CALLED”?
(7) “To all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints:”
Now please notice that Paul did not say, “called as sinners”

Yet in the church today, you would think that is what God called us to be.
NO, HE CALLED US AS SAINTS.

We were sinners.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

Ephesians 2:1-7 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

NOW LISTEN CLOSELY
(some of you will scorn this)
I am not a sinner. Now I used to be.
But not any more. Now I am a saint.

That doesn’t mean I don’t sin. I do sin.
But that is not who I am.

Thanks to the blood of Jesus, I am a saint.
And if you have yielded your life to Jesus, so are you.

THAT IS YOUR CALLING.
“Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

PAUL WANTED THE ROMANS TO KNOW THIS
You have been called as saints.
And before you start examining your message,
Start examining your life.

If your life is still characterized by sin, then you have not accepted the message of the gospel.

THE PEOPLE OF THE GOSPEL ARE THOSE WHO
HAVE HEARD THE MESSAGE, HAVE REPENTED OF THEIR SIN, HAVE BEEN GIVEN NEW LIFE IN CHRIST,
AND NOW WALK IN OBEDIENCE TO HIS COMMANDS.
Is that you?

In the church we have come to embrace this “defeatist attitude” where sin is inevitable.

If sin is inevitable, then the death of Jesus wasn’t very powerful.

DO NOT FALL INTO THE MINDSET THAT SIN IS INEVITABLE,
OR THAT SIN IS ACCEPTABLE.

Neither is true.
First apply that to your life, and then apply that to your message.

The gospel does not allow sinners to stay in sin.
The gospel leads to the obedience of faith.

That is the gospel in a nut shell.
Jesus came, Jesus saves, so you will obey and glorify Him.

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

My first question to you this morning, is:
IS THAT YOU?
And is that the message you are preaching?

THAT IS WHAT PAUL WANTED FOR THE ROMANS.
(7) “to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as Saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Grace” = the ability to do right.
“Peace” = the consequence of doing right.

He wanted them to have it, and that is what I want for you.

This morning, give your heart to Jesus Christ,
And preach the message of the gospel
To the world around you.

Insight into a Missionary Heart – Pt. 1
Romans 1:8-10
July 29, 2007

This morning we finished the introduction to the book of Romans.
And Paul laid a very important and insightful foundation for this book.

It is about the gospel, and not just any gospel, but “the gospel of God”, the one “promised beforehand through His prophets”, the one “concerning His Son”, who was the God Man, and the one meant “to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake.”

And Paul gave us tremendous insight there in those first 8 verses.

Tonight we actually begin the letter.

You will remember in verse 1, Paul said,
“Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,”

And if you will recall we talked about:
The Man
The Ministry
The Message

And Paul gave us an overview.
Well tonight, we are going to look a little deeper
Into what made this great apostle tick.

Tonight we gain some insight, not only into Paul, but also into WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A GREAT MISSIONARY

And of course, Paul set the standard for missionary work.
He embarked on three missionary journey’s, wrote more than half of the New Testament and planted numerous churches and eventually was martyred for Christ.

So tonight we are going to begin our look at what this man tick.
I asked you during that first sermon in Romans,
“WHAT TYPE OF PERSON DOES GOD USE TO PREACH THE GOSPEL?”
Or
“WHAT TYPE OF PERSON PREACHES THE GOSPEL?”

Tonight we are going to begin looking at that a little deeper.
And there are 5 things we see in our text tonight that help us understand what it means to have a missionary heart.

#1 HIS PRIORITY
Romans 1:8a
“FIRST, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.”

It is by no mere coincident that Paul used that word there.
“First”

He was letting the Romans see of first importance what mattered to him, and
What do we find Paul doing first, but giving thanks?

He was dedicated to thankfulness.

If I were writing this letter, I might have started off with pointing out how the Romans needed to straighten up, or maybe with a theological dissertation, or maybe a report on how I was doing.

And certainly Paul will get to those things in this letter, but he made it clear that before he did anything else, he first wanted them to know that he was grateful.

HE WAS GRATEFUL FOR WHAT HAD ALREADY OCCURRED.

If you will remember we talked about this in regard to worship.
A vitally important part of worship is gratitude.

Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

If you will remember Paul taught us the motivation for worship, “by the mercies of God.” In other words, we are motivated, not to get something new, but because of what God has already done.

Paul could have immediately started in on how this church could be better, or stronger, or bigger, or more effective, but he didn’t. In stead he first offered thanks that there was even a church there at all.

SOME TIMES WE CAN GET SO TASK AND GOAL ORIENTED THAT WE ARE NOT GRATEFUL FOR ANYTHING BUT THE BIG THING.

An attitude like that can discourage you quickly.

FOR EXAMPLE:
We send a team on mission, and we can easily get caught up in that team having success, and winning people to Jesus, and growing the kingdom. Paul would have first been thankful that there was even a team going.

What we must remember is that every step taken is by God’s grace.
Before we get so ambitious to conquer the world, first be thankful that He saved you, and that he called you, and that you were able to respond, and that others responded, and that there is an opportunity.

All of this was by God’s grace, don’t forget to thank Him for that.

So while we are ambitious, don’t forget to be thankful, for in all truth, God has already done more than we deserve.

When we aren’t thankful, we set ourselves up for disappointment.
In fact, the opposite of thankfulness, is greed.

A greedy person is greedy because he can’t see how good he already has it.

Learn to recognize what God has done and be grateful,
Because it is more than we deserve.

And this really was a staple in Paul’s ministry.
Lenny pointed this out in Sunday School this morning.

Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Colossians 3:15-17 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

Colossians 4:2 “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;”

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 “pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

I think you see the point.
But a great missionary heart takes nothing for granted.
He is not so ambitious that he can’t see
What God has been doing for him all along.

So don’t miss the priority of a missionary heart, and that is to constantly keep track of all that God has done and to be thankful.

First his priority
#2 HIS PERCEPTION
Romans 1:8b

“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all,”

This again, I think teaches us a lot.
WHY DIDN’T HE THANK THE ROMANS FOR THEIR FAITHFULNESS?
WHY DIDN’T HE THANK THEM FOR STANDING STRONG?

Because Paul understood two things.
1) THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
2) THE SALVATION OF JESUS
Instead of thanking the Romans for their faithfulness, Paul thanked God, because Paul understood that the only reason they were there and faithful was because of God’s sovereignty.

1 Corinthians 3:6-9 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.”

John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

And Paul said he thanked God “through Jesus Christ” because he knew that not only was it God’s sovereignty, but Jesus sacrifice that allowed this church to be who they were.

They could not have been strong on their own.
John 15:4-5 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Paul knew their success was not a result of human achievement,
But was a result of the working of God,
And so he gave credit where credit was deserved.

Sometimes I think we get too eager to accept credit for our success, or to attribute success to the receptiveness of the people. And while there is a definite human element involved in salvation, we must not forget that it is all a result of the working of God.

Mark 4:26-29 “And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows — how, he himself does not know. “The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. “But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

Given Sporadically
Grows Supernaturally
Gathered Suddenly

The only reason that seed did anything was because of the supernatural work of God. That parable accurately illustrates how little we really do
In regard to winning the lost into the kingdom.

And Paul was perceptive of that.
He didn’t fail to give thanks,
And he didn’t fail to give thanks were thanks was due.

That is the heart of a missionary.

His priority His perception
#3 HIS PRAISE
Romans 1:8c
“because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.”

And here we see what it is that causes a missionary to rejoice.
Paul is happy, Paul is rejoicing that their faith is not stagnant, but that it is proclaimed throughout the whole world.

This could of course mean that they were a mission’s active church,
But mostly I think it reveals that people were encouraged by their faithfulness.

We aren’t told specifically what, but we can estimate what sort of struggles a church that was planted in Rome must have faced.

Rome was the death place of both Peter and Paul.
It was Rome that ran Christians into the coliseum and fed them to the lions.
This was no easy place to serve Christ.

And yet they were so faithful that it encouraged others.
I wonder if it might have been the Romans that Peter referred to.

1 Peter 5:8-9 ‘Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.”

And this is the type of encouragement that the church in Rome is obviously offering.

Not only that, but it reinforces what we spoke of this morning, that saving faith is accompanied with obedience.

The world was not encouraged because they “believed”, but because they obviously obeyed.

And this was the reason Paul rejoiced as well.

And I can say this is well.

THER IS NO GREATER FORM OF ENCOURAGEMENT TO A MINISTER THAN THE FAITHFULNESS OF THE FLOCK.

3 John 4 “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.”

A minister is encouraged when his flock is faithful.
For one, it lets the minister know that he is not wasting his life.

2 Corinthians 3:1-3 “Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

A missionary heart is one that is encouraged when people are faithful to the Lord.

But what is even more amazing to me about Paul here is that Paul did not plant this church. These were not “Paul’s Children in the Lord”.

And yet Paul is still rejoicing at their faithfulness.

THE HEART OF A MISSIONARY BEATS FOR THE KINGDOM,
NOT FOR PERSONAL GLORY.

Listen to some of these statements by Paul
2 Corinthians 12:15 “I will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less?”

Philippians 1:21 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Acts 21:10-14 “As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'” When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, “The will of the Lord be done!”

A great missionary heart is one who rejoices in the big picture, not just one who rejoices in his own success.

There is no room for bitterness or jealousy in a missionary heart.

I can show you a negative example of this in Scripture.
TURN TO: LUKE 9:37-56

But of course Paul displayed a true missionary heart.
He rejoiced over their faithfulness, even though it was not because of something he had done.

His priority, his perception, his praise,
#4 HIS PURPOSE
Romans 1:9a

Now if you will notice, Paul sort of crams this point in there.
It doesn’t really have anything to do with the point he is making.

This statement is sort of thrown in there FYI.
“God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son”

It doesn’t really have anything to do with why he is thankful, or why he is rejoicing, or why he is praying for them.

But it is necessary to be in this list.
Because a missionary heart must have a sense of purpose.

And here Paul mentions his purpose is to serve God.
And Paul does that by preaching the gospel.

Now you may or may not be a preacher.
1 Corinthians 12:14-18 “For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.”

You may have a different gift and purpose.
Paul was a preacher, and in order to be faithful, he had to preach.

We heard what he said this morning.
1 Corinthians 1:17 “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.”

1 Corinthians 2:1-2 “And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”

1 Corinthians 9:16 “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.”

He even enlisted prayer to help him be faithful to this purpose.
Ephesians 6:19-20 “and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

A MISSIONARY HAS A SENSE OF PURPOSE
AND IS EAGER TO SERVE GOD BY FULFILLING HIS PURPOSE

Romans 12:6-8 “Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

That is a missionary heart, that does what he can to the best of his ability,
And he does it because he is serving the Lord.

His priority, His perception, His praise, His purpose
#5 HIS PASSION
Romans 1:9b-10

Now I think this point really drives home the essence of a missionary heart as good as any in Scripture.

Just look at the wording Paul used.

“how unceasingly I make mention of you”

You get the idea that Paul is literally chewing God’s ear off about the Roman people. We don’t know what Paul specifically prayed for them, but we do know he prayed for them.

And he did it “unceasingly”

“always in my prayers making request”

Here, not only is Paul praying unceasingly, but every time he prays, he mentions the Romans, and here we learn that he is requesting something of God every time he prays.

Paul is relentless in pleading with God about something.

“if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you.”

Now look at that statement, for it gives us great insight into Paul’s heart.

Here is a man who never stops praying, and every time he prays he is asking God if he can finally go to the Romans.

And notice he says, “at last”, kind of makes you think he is disappointed every time he has not been allowed to go.

Notice he uses the word “succeed in coming to you.”

That makes me think that he has even tried to come several times and has been thwarted in his plans.

THE POINT:
A TRUE MISSIONARY IS NOT WAITING ON GOD TO FORCE HIM,
HE IS COUNTING ON GOD TO STOP HIM.

And even seems to be discouraged only when he is not allowed.

I mean look at Paul’s life.
Acts 16:6-10 “They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.”

Philippians 1:8 “For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 2:18 “For we wanted to come to you — I, Paul, more than once — and yet Satan hindered us.”

1 Corinthians 16:5 “But I will come to you after I go through Macedonia, for I am going through Macedonia;”

As far as Paul is concerned,
The command to go has already been issued,
And unless God reaches in and stops him, he is going.

And that is a heart that beats missions isn’t it?

I mean we pretend like we want to go, and then act so disappointed if we don’t get the opportunity.

And I only condemn myself here.
I would be lying if I told you I’d never been relieved when someone wasn’t home when I knocked on their door.

Paul on the other hand was heavily discouraged.
You get the feeling that nothing could stop him (accept God)
From spreading the gospel.

And that is really echoed in this statement here.

”For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you.”

In verse 11, he will throw in and “I long to see you.”
In verse 13, he adds, “often I have planned to come to you”
In verse 15, he adds, “I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.”

I mean this guy wants to go.
THAT IS A GREAT MISSIONARY HEART.

He is first of all thankful for all that God has already done.
He is perceptive that it is God who has done it all.
He is rejoicing at every advance of the kingdom no matter if it was because of him or not.
He is committed to serve God in whatever area God has equipped him.
He is passionate about going, until forced to stop.

It’s no wonder Paul was such a successful missionary.
With a heart like that, who wouldn’t be?

That is a missionary heart.
HOW IS YOUR HEART?

Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Acts 1:8 “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

John 20:21 “So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

Maybe tonight, it is time to allow God to change your heart, so that it beats totally for Him.

WHAT TYPE OF PERSON PREACHES THE GOSPEL?
The person that really wants to.

Pray

The Gospel in a Nutshell
Romans 1:3-7
July 29, 2007

Two weeks ago, we began a study of Paul’s letter to the Romans.
The reason, as I told you then, is to help us better understand the gospel.

There are many in our churches even today,
Who do not understand the gospel, and could not share it.

As we went on our Men’s Retreat
The last night we began to visit about what true salvation is.

And we realized that in the room of ten men.
7 of us had made child hood professions that were not genuine.
7 of us were truly saved later in life.

That is not to say children cannot be saved.
But the point became apparent to us all.

There has spread throughout our churches a dangerous problem.

MANY IN CHURCHES HAVE FAILED TO TAKE THE TIME
TO TRULY UNDERSTAND THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL.
As a result, people are preaching an incomplete gospel message, And people are responding to this incomplete gospel message.

We are studying Romans to learn the message of the gospel,
So that we may accurately apply it to our own lives,
And then accurately preach it to others.

For a church that is confused about the gospel, is in a world of hurt.

WHY?
Romans 1:16 “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.”

Romans 10:14 “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?”

It is apparent, we must be accurate in regards to the gospel.

We have already seen two points about the gospel.
“The Preacher of the Gospel” (verse 1)
“The Promise of the Gospel” (verse 2)

This morning we take the next step,
And take a brief look at what the gospel really is.

I want to give you “The Gospel in a Nut Shell”.

And there are three things we see here in these 5 verses.
#1 THE PERSON OF THE GOSPEL
Romans 1:3-4

let’s break this point down into two points.

1) THE SUBJECT (3a)
“concerning His Son”

These three words set the boundaries and parameters
By which we measure everything that claims to be the gospel.

If it is the gospel, then it is about Jesus.

If you desire to be a preacher of the gospel, then that means you are a preacher of Jesus, for the gospel is about Him.

It seems our churches, our pulpits, even our daily conversations, Are filled with all sorts of topics,
But if it is not concerning Jesus, it is not the gospel.

Remember what Paul said?
1 Corinthians 9:16 “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.”

But in that letter Paul had already said something else.
1 Corinthians 2:1-2 “And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”

Paul had already said that he preached, “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” Later he said, “woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.”

He had also already said:
1 Corinthians 1:17 “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.”

To Paul, preaching Jesus was preaching the gospel,
And he would be a fool to stray from that.

But it seems like we continually stray from that.
Much of our evangelism today has become
Surface, superficial, light hearted, pleasant, and ineffective.

That style of religious flattery and attraction is eternally ineffective, because the calling of the gospel is not to make friends.
The calling of the gospel is to make disciples.
Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

The point is that when we go, we must preach Jesus.
We are not just inviting people to church…
We are not just trying to make people feel comfortable…
We are telling people they must fully submit their lives to Jesus Christ.

The gospel is all about Jesus.
Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

If it’s not about Jesus, then it’s not the gospel.
For the gospel is “concerning His Son”.

But let’s dig a little deeper than that.

We see the subject
2) THE SPECIFICS (3b-4)
“who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,”

It is true that the gospel is about Jesus,
But today (as we have noted) there are people
Who preach a different Jesus than the Biblical Jesus.

So Paul gets a little more specific about the Jesus that we are preaching.
Now these two specifics do not focus so much on what He did,
But on who He is.

If you fail to correctly understand who He is,
Then what He did loses it’s power.

So Paul wants you to see specifically who He is.
“who was born a descendant of David according to the flesh”

Now let’s just take that statement at face value.
When Jesus was born, He was born in the kingly line of David.

In that, it is apparent, that Jesus was a human (he was born),
And that He has the right to set upon the throne of Israel.

If you look at the two different lineages of Jesus.
Matthew 1 is Joseph’s lineage…
Luke 3 is Mary’s lineage…
You will find that Jesus was of David’s line from both His parents.
Jesus is the rightful King, and Jesus was fully human.

He knows what it is like to be a human.
He knows our pain, He knows our frustrations, He knows our joys.

And that is important to understand.
Hebrews 2:17-18 “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”

He faced temptation…
He faced tragedy…
He suffered pain…
He experienced death…

He was fully human.
But that is not the only thing Paul wants you to realize.

(4) “who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,”

Of course, after Jesus died, 3 days later, He rose from the dead.
John 2:19-21 “Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body.”

In John 2 Jesus laid down the challenge,
In John 20 Jesus put His money where His mouth was.

He stepped out of His own tomb.
And when this happened Paul said it revealed something.
“who was declared the Son of God with power”

That word “Son” translates HUIOS (hwee-os)

An interesting fact, if you could read John’s gospel in the Greek.
He never uses this word to describe anyone but Jesus.

When speaking of other humans he always uses the word TEKNON

Now here is the difference.

TEKNON gives prominence to the fact of birth.
(This child was born a child of their parent.)

HUIOS does not stress birth, but rather the character of the relationship.

A TEKNON is the child of the father, a HUIOS is just like his father.
(“A chip off the old block”)

WHICH IS WHAT WE LEARN OF JESUS.
He was NOT born of God as we are. Jesus was BORN GOD.

Hebrews 1:1-3 “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

Colossians 1:15 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”

And that is why Jesus would say to Thomas.
John 14:9 “Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

The message of the gospel is that Jesus is fully God.
And just in case you had trouble grasping that,
Paul says there is one event that should solidify it.

“was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead”

“power” translates DUNAMIS
It is where we get our word for dynamite.

In other words, the resurrection is extremely powerful evidence
That Jesus is indeed God.

That helps us see who Jesus is.
He is fully man, He is fully God.

He is so much man that He can identify with us,
And so much God that He can save us.

It is the mystery and the miracle of the incarnation.
God veiled in Humanity

Matthew 1:21-23 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.”

And this is the person of the gospel.
He is the subject of our preaching.

We can talk about all sorts of good things,
But if our preaching is not saturated with the God Man, Jesus Christ, Then we are not preaching the gospel.
He is the Person of the gospel, it is all about Him.

But the gospel is not just informative in nature.
It’s not just meant to serve as an encyclopedia.
The gospel is also loaded with purpose.

There is a reason why the gospel preaches Jesus.

#2 THE PURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL
Romans 1:5

Now Paul begins this verse again explaining to you
WHY HE IS PREACHING THE GOSPEL.

“through whom we have received grace and apostleship”

In other words, it is Jesus who gave us “grace” (ability)
And “apostleship” (authority) to preach this message.
Jesus Himself had commissioned the apostles to carry this message.

BUT WHAT WAS IT’S PURPOSE?
“to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,”

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL?

Immediately someone would say “obedience”.
That is a noble answer, but that is not the purpose of the gospel.

Someone would then work their way down the verse and say, “faith”.
That too is a noble answer, but still not the purpose of the gospel.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL?
The glory of Jesus.

Paul does all that he does “for His name’s sake.”

The purpose of preaching the gospel,
Is so that Jesus will be glorified.

It is our desire to exalt, and glorify Jesus more than any other,
And to do that, we preach the gospel.

WELL HOW DOES THE GOSPEL GLORIFY JESUS?
It leads to faith.

Romans 1:16-17 “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. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”
Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

The gospel leads to faith, AND WHAT DOES FAITH LEAD TO?
Obedience.

In fact, if faith doesn’t have obedience,
Then the Bible tells us it is not real faith.
James 2:18-26 “But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”

We applaud the men of old for their great faith, and rightly so.
But if Noah hadn’t built the boat, would his faith have been real?
If Abraham hadn’t left Ur, would his faith have been real?
If Moses hadn’t left Egypt..?
If Rahab hadn’t hung the scarlet cord…?
If Joshua hadn’t marched around the wall..?

If you don’t obey..?
If you don’t follow..?

You see, faith without works is dead.
That is also why Jesus used obedience
As the chief criteria and evidential fruit of saving faith.

Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell — and great was its fall.”

Romans 2:12-13 “For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.”

That is why Paul calls it here “the obedience of faith”

And it is this obedience by all men that brings glory to Jesus.
WHICH IS THE PURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL
Isaiah 49:5-6 “And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him (For I am honored in the sight of the LORD, And My God is My strength), He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

That is the purpose of the gospel.

It is NOT to make this church bigger…
It is NOT simply to allow people to go to heaven…

The purpose of the gospel is to turn sinful, wicked, obstinate people Into obedient, submissive, devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

THAT THEN BRINGS GLORY TO JESUS.

THIS IS ANOTHER WAY THE GOSPEL GETS PERVERTED.
First, a perverted gospel messages
Says nothing all about who Jesus is,
But secondly it doesn’t require saving faith;
The kind of faith that is evidenced by obedience.

We seem to think that if we talk about heaven, and forgiveness,
And then tell people to accept it,
That we have preached the gospel, and we are making converts.

WRONG!

A true convert is measured by their love and obedience to Jesus Christ.
If they have not left a life of sin and turned to follow Jesus,
You have not made a disciple.

The purpose of the gospel is simple.
“to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake.”

So first, the person of the gospel
Second, the purpose of the gospel
#3 THE PEOPLE OF THE GOSPEL
Romans 1:6-7

And here is where Paul gets personal.
For he wants the Romans to know that he is not just telling them to examine their preaching, but to first examine their lives.

“among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;”

WHAT DOES HE MEAN “CALLED”?
(7) “To all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints:”
Now please notice that Paul did not say, “called as sinners”

Yet in the church today, you would think that is what God called us to be.
NO, HE CALLED US AS SAINTS.

We were sinners.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

Ephesians 2:1-7 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

NOW LISTEN CLOSELY
(some of you will scorn this)
I am not a sinner. Now I used to be.
But not any more. Now I am a saint.

That doesn’t mean I don’t sin. I do sin.
But that is not who I am.

Thanks to the blood of Jesus, I am a saint.
And if you have yielded your life to Jesus, so are you.

THAT IS YOUR CALLING.
“Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

PAUL WANTED THE ROMANS TO KNOW THIS
You have been called as saints.
And before you start examining your message,
Start examining your life.

If your life is still characterized by sin, then you have not accepted the message of the gospel.

THE PEOPLE OF THE GOSPEL ARE THOSE WHO
HAVE HEARD THE MESSAGE, HAVE REPENTED OF THEIR SIN, HAVE BEEN GIVEN NEW LIFE IN CHRIST,
AND NOW WALK IN OBEDIENCE TO HIS COMMANDS.
Is that you?

In the church we have come to embrace this “defeatist attitude” where sin is inevitable.

If sin is inevitable, then the death of Jesus wasn’t very powerful.

DO NOT FALL INTO THE MINDSET THAT SIN IS INEVITABLE,
OR THAT SIN IS ACCEPTABLE.

Neither is true.
First apply that to your life, and then apply that to your message.

The gospel does not allow sinners to stay in sin.
The gospel leads to the obedience of faith.

That is the gospel in a nut shell.
Jesus came, Jesus saves, so you will obey and glorify Him.

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

My first question to you this morning, is:
IS THAT YOU?
And is that the message you are preaching?

THAT IS WHAT PAUL WANTED FOR THE ROMANS.
(7) “to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as Saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Grace” = the ability to do right.
“Peace” = the consequence of doing right.

He wanted them to have it, and that is what I want for you.

This morning, give your heart to Jesus Christ,
And preach the message of the gospel
To the world around you.

The Promise of the Gospel
Romans 1:2
July 15, 2007

As we said this morning, we are beginning a study of the book of Romans so that we may gain a true understanding of the gospel.

And not just any gospel, but as Paul stated in verse 1, “the gospel of God”.

God has “good news” for mankind.
And we want to know what His gospel is.

And in verse 1, Paul made the claim that this is the good news that he is preaching.

BUT KEEP IN MIND
Paul can’t be sure exactly who he is dealing with in Rome. This is not a church that he planted, nor has he ministered there.

It is a church that has constantly been on his mind.

He had heard good things about them.
(8) “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.”

Paul constantly prayed for them, and for an opportunity to come to them.
(9-10) “For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you.”

Paul wanted to see them.
(11) “For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established;”

And many times Paul had tried to go to them, but was not allowed.
(13) “I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.”

Paul had a longing for them, but beyond that, Paul did not have personal knowledge of them.

Therefore, when Paul writes this letter, he writes with the assumption of an argument.

Paul had been around for a while by now.
Many think he wrote this letter during his third visit to Corinth, while on his way to Jerusalem, where he would be arrested.

And he knew what sort of arguments he would face from the Jews.

And even if those who received this letter were not prone to argue, Paul knew what sort of arguments they would face, and so one of the first things he sets out to do is to PROVE THAT THE GOSPEL HE IS PREACHING REALLY IS “THE GOSPEL OF GOD”.

And of course he does this quite often.
Galatians 1:11-12 “For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”

And this is also his point in the text tonight.
Paul wants all those who will read this letter to understand that the things he speaks of here, is not from his own imagination, but can be clearly seen, and understood in the Old Testament.

And this is a wonderful truth to learn.

Many today try to treat the gospel like it is some sort of “Plan B” attempt at salvation. This is not true. The message of the gospel has always been God’s plan of salvation.

And of course we will get in to it,
But the Law was never the plan to save. It was always Jesus.

Beyond that, works was never the way to be saved, it was always faith.
The sacrifices were never more than a picture…
The feasts were never more than a promise…

Everything in the Old Testament was pointing to this gospel that Paul is now preaching, and he wants the Romans to know that.

So, now, after revealing that he is preaching “the gospel of God”, he now devotes this statement to prove such.

And there are three points that he appeals to that we will look at a little deeper to reveal that this gospel is not something new, but has always been God’s plan.

3 things
#1 THE GOSPEL WAS PROMISED
Romans 1:2a “which He promised beforehand”

There was a tendency among Jews to think that if they left Judaism, and the sacrifices to embrace Jesus that they were leaving their heritage behind, and this was a very difficult choice.

Some thought they were running the risk of condemnation to do so.

But they had been deceived.
What they didn’t realize is that their manner of Judaism
Was leading them to condemnation.

WHY?
Hebrews 10:4 “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

They needed to see that their belief system was the defection from the truth, not the gospel.

The gospel has always been God’s plan.
IT WAS PROMISED
And we can see that in the Scriptures.

The Old Testament was the root of the “New Covenant”

TURN TO: Jeremiah 31:31-34

TURN TO: Jeremiah 32:36-41

TURN TO: Ezekiel 36:22-32

The idea that man was going to be saved by his own good merits Was never the idea of God.

You never find that in Scripture.
God always promised a day when He would change them from the inside out.

And God promised this salvation by promising a person.
The Old Testament is full of “Messianic Promises”

God continually promised a Messiah.
Now the Jews knew that, but they had a limited understanding of who He would be.

They grasped one point real well, they partially understood another aspect, and they missed one aspect all together.

The aspect they got really well was this:
THE MESSIAH WILL BE SENT FROM GOD

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”

Isaiah 9:6-7 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.”

Isaiah 42:1-4 “God’s Promise concerning His Servant “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. “He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street. “A bruised reed He will not break And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. “He will not be disheartened or crushed Until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.”

Now, they got that.
In fact, they were looking for this coming King.

And they even knew were to look.
Micah 5:2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.”

They couldn’t wait to find the One who would restore Israel.
And that leads to the second aspect that they only partially understood.

THE MESSIAH WILL BE A SAVIOR

They understood this, but only in a political sense. They knew Him to be the one who would break the back of Rome and deliver them politically like David had done.

What they didn’t understand was that He would come to save from a much more deadly foe, and that was sin.

Isaiah 59:15-20 “Yes, truth is lacking; And he who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey. Now the LORD saw, And it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice. And He saw that there was no man, And was astonished that there was no one to intercede; Then His own arm brought salvation to Him, And His righteousness upheld Him. He put on righteousness like a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle. According to their deeds, so He will repay, Wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; To the coastlands He will make recompense. So they will fear the name of the LORD from the west And His glory from the rising of the sun, For He will come like a rushing stream Which the wind of the LORD drives. And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” declares the LORD.”

Isaiah 61:1-3 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”

And He would be the Savior, not just for Jews, but also for Gentiles.
Isaiah 49:5-7 “And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him (For I am honored in the sight of the LORD, And My God is My strength), He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One, To the despised One, To the One abhorred by the nation, To the Servant of rulers, “Kings will see and arise, Princes will also bow down, Because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.”

They knew He would deliver politically (at His 2nd Coming) they didn’t realize that He came to deliver from sin.

So they knew He would be sent from God, and they kind of understood that He would be the Savior.

But the third aspect, they never grasped, and that is that
HE WOULD BE THE SACRIFICE FOR SIN

Isaiah 52:13-14 “Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted. Just as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men.”

TURN TO: Isaiah 53

They never grasped all that, and many still do not.
That is the offense of the cross.

But the point is that this is and always has been God’s Gospel.
The things concerning Jesus (His death, Burial, Resurrection) was not a new idea, this was promised in the beginning.

The Old Testament promised these things.
And Paul wants you to see that.

First, the gospel was promised
#2 THE GOSPEL WAS PROCLAIMED
Romans 1:2b “which He promised beforehand through His prophets”

Now at this point, I suppose the Jews could argue, that if you manipulated the text, you could come up with a view of Jesus.

I mean anyone can look back at a text and reinterpret it right?
I suppose, but that is not the case with the gospel of God.

The requirements of the gospel that Paul preaches are the same requirements that God has always had in place.

In short, The Gospel was not something to be put into effect later, the gospel has always been in effect. Even in the Old Testament.

Salvation was never by works…
Salvation was never purchased by goats or bulls…
It was never liturgical…
It was never legalistic…

THE GOSPEL THAT IS PROCLAIMED TODAY WAS PROCLAIMED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT AS WELL.

And we know that to some degree.
OBVIOUSLY REPENTANCE WAS PREACHED.

Joel 2:12-13 “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping and mourning; And rend your heart and not your garments.” Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil.”

Jeremiah 3:12-14 “Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say, ‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the LORD; ‘I will not look upon you in anger. For I am gracious,’ declares the LORD; ‘I will not be angry forever. ‘Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the LORD your God And have scattered your favors to the strangers under every green tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,’ declares the LORD. ‘Return, O faithless sons,’ declares the LORD; ‘For I am a master to you, And I will take you one from a city and two from a family, And I will bring you to Zion.’”

Jeremiah 4:1-4 “If you will return, O Israel,” declares the LORD, “Then you should return to Me. And if you will put away your detested things from My presence, And will not waver, And you will swear, ‘As the LORD lives,’ In truth, in justice and in righteousness; Then the nations will bless themselves in Him, And in Him they will glory.” For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, “Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns. “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD And remove the foreskins of your heart, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Or else My wrath will go forth like fire And burn with none to quench it, Because of the evil of your deeds.”

Jeremiah 4:14 “Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem, That you may be saved. How long will your wicked thoughts Lodge within you?”

That right there should have been enough to stomp legalism. Religious ritual deals only with the external. There is an external sacrifice for every external sin, but Jeremiah and Joel came talking about the sin of the heart.

Even the Gospel was in the Old Testament telling men to repent of the wickedness of their heart.

Not only that, but the Gospel was in the Old Testament which revealed that man was saved by faith, and not works.

Habakkuk 2:4 “Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith.”

Isaiah 28:16 “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.”

Even the Old Testament taught that justification was by faith.
In fact, the Old Testament repeatedly taught the futility of works.

Hosea 6:6 “For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

Amos 5:21-24 “I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. “Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings. “Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. “But let justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

Micah 6:6-8 “With what shall I come to the LORD And bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, With yearling calves? Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?”

1 Samuel 15:22 “Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.”

Jeremiah 6:20 “For what purpose does frankincense come to Me from Sheba And the sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable And your sacrifices are not pleasing to Me.”

(Asaph)
Psalms 50:8-15 “I do not reprove you for your sacrifices, And your burnt offerings are continually before Me. “I shall take no young bull out of your house Nor male goats out of your folds. “For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. “I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine. “If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains. “Shall I eat the flesh of bulls Or drink the blood of male goats? “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving And pay your vows to the Most High; Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.”

(David)
Psalms 51:16-17 “For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”

BLATANTLY OBVIOUS
The Old Testament taught repentance, it taught justification by faith.

It even gave the same warning that Paul will give in Romans 6 against cheap grace.

Jeremiah 7:1-11 “The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, “Stand in the gate of the LORD’S house and proclaim there this word and say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah, who enter by these gates to worship the LORD!'” Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. “Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, ‘ This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’ “For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever. “Behold, you are trusting in deceptive words to no avail. “Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery and swear falsely, and offer sacrifices to Baal and walk after other gods that you have not known, then come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’ — that you may do all these abominations? “Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” declares the LORD.”

The point is that not only was this gospel of Paul promised in the Old Testament, but it was also preached in the Old Testament.

This has always been God’s gospel.

It was promised, it was proclaimed
#3 THE GOSPEL WAS PRESERVED
Romans 1:2c “which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures.”

The point here is that not only has God been proclaiming the same truth for years, but God has also preserved this gospel in His word.

He has not changed it…
He has not allowed it to pass away…
He makes sure that it is always readily available for anyone who is willing to dig for it.

Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”

Matthew 5:18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

Matthew 24:35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”

In a historical sense, it is somewhat secured because it is written in two dead languages.

Even in this way God has preserved it.

But the main point is that this is God’s gospel, it has always been God’s gospel, it will always be God’s gospel.

SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR US.

Well obviously, first, if you have not accepted God’s gospel, you still must do it.
No amount of intention, or good works will save you.

You must submit to the gospel of God.

Repentance from sin…
Faith in Jesus Christ…

It has always been God’s plan.
Romans 10:5-10 “For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness. But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, ‘WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), or ‘WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART” — that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
(Deuteronomy 30:12-14)

BUT BEYOND THAT
It is obvious that God has two passions about the gospel.

1) HE WANTS IT PROCLAIMED
2) HE WANTS IT PRESERVED

That makes our job clear.

We are called to proclaim the gospel.
Romans 10:14-17 “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!” However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

We are called to preserve the gospel
Jude 3-4 “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

We now carry the torch that Paul carried.
We proclaim the gospel, and we preserve the gospel.

There is no doubt it is “the gospel of God”

We must devote our lives to it.

The Preacher of the Gospel
Romans 1:1
July 15, 2007

We have concluded the book of John.
I hope that after studying that great gospel,
You have now buried in your heart a deep seated conviction about Jesus.

John told us what we should have learned.
John 20:30-31 “Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.”

Now we are going to move in to study the gospel.
And we are familiar with the gospel.
We talk about it all the time.

“Gospel” EUANGELION = it literally means “good news”
It is also where we get our word for evangelism.

And so we are familiar with the gospel in that sense.

But suppose someone told you to go out and evangelize
Or share the good news with someone else.
COULD YOU DO IT?
What is the gospel?
How do you share it?
Where do you start?

ON A SIMPLE NOTE, IT IS THE SAME THING WE LEARNED IN JOHN

For look at what Paul says about the gospel.
Romans 1:3-4 “concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,”

BUT THIS IS ONLY THE SURFACE,
THE GOSPEL IS MUCH DEEPER THAN THAT.

This is why we are now studying the book of Romans.
It has been called the most complete book in the New Testament.

John Calvin said,
“When any one gains a knowledge of this Epistle, he has an entrance opened to him to all the most hidden treasures of Scripture”
(MacArthur, John; MacArthur New Testament Commentaries: Romans 1-8; Moody Press, Chicago, Ill; 1991, pg. x)

Martin Luther said that Romans is:
“the chief part of the New Testament and the very purest gospel.”
(ibid, pg. x)

Frederick Godet called Romans:
“the cathedral of Christian faith.”
(ibid. x)
Such is the book of Romans.
A book of immense depth.

Paul was the one who wrote it, and even he had to stop and marvel At the truth which God was revealing to him.

Romans 11:33-36 “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR? Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”

It seems that even the mind of Paul is blown away.
Such is this book of Romans.

WE NOW BEGIN THIS STUDY SO THAT WE MAY HAVE
A THOROUGH UNDERSTANDING OF THE GOSPEL.

FOR JUST AS THE TRUTH OF JESUS HAS BEEN MALIGNED
SO ALSO HAS THE GOSPEL BEEN MALIGNED

And this is unacceptable.
For just as there is but one God (Jesus). There is but one gospel.

Ephesians 4:4-6 “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”

There is “one faith”, one gospel, and as we study the book of Romans,
It will unlock that gospel to you.

The first seven verses of Romans serve as the introduction.
These set the foundation for the remainder of the book.
The rest of the book follows the direction set forth here.

Verse 1 shows us: THE PREACHER OF THE GOSPEL
“Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,”

Verse 2 shows us: THE PROMISE OF THE GOSPEL
“which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures,”

Verses 3-4 show us: THE PERSON OF THE GOSPEL
“concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,”

Verse 5 shows us: THE PURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL
“through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,”

Verses 6-7 show us: THE PEOPLE OF THE GOSPEL
“among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Just in those 7 verses we learn a great deal already
About the purity and purpose of the gospel.

And this morning we are going to look at the first verse of this introduction.
“The Preacher of the Gospel”
Romans 1:1

And as we study this verse this morning,
I would simply ask you.
WHAT TYPE OF PERSON PREACHES THE GOSPEL?
OR
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A PREACHER OF THE GOSPEL?

This we will see this morning as we fix our eyes on this man
Whom God used to reveal the gospel like no one else.

There are three things we see in this first verse that I want to show you this morning.
#1 THE MAN
Romans 1:1a “Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus,”

Most of you are certainly quite familiar with this man named Paul,
But I do want to give you a brief background on him.

He was born a Roman citizen in the city of Tarsus,
Which was a city that housed a great Roman university.

Acts 22:3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today.”

He lived the early part of his life with great zeal for Judaism.
Philippians 3:5-6 “circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.”

He had a great zeal for God, but it was incredibly misguided.
So much so that he actually missed the whole point to the Old Testament, And failed to recognize God’s Messiah.

This is why Paul was able to so accurately explain the fallen state of Israel.
Romans 10:1-4 “Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”
Paul understood them because he was one of them.
He was a man filled with zeal without knowledge,
And this knowledge led him to do horrendous things
All in the name of religion.

As a young man Paul took it upon himself to completely stomp out
This band of new believers that were being called “Christians.”

Acts 7:58-60 “When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep.”

He witnessed the stoning of Stephen.

This event should have softened Paul’s heart. It did just the opposite.
It seemed to light a fire in him
That caused him to go after the church like no one else.

Acts 8:1-3 “Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him. But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.”

Paul became a man consumed with hatred for the Church of God.
He later expressed this hatred while on trial.

Acts 26:9-11 “So then, I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. “And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them. “And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities.”

Of all the Jews that hated Christianity, Paul was the ring leader.
As far as hostility to the church was concerned,
It can quite literally be stated that Paul was indeed “the chief of sinners.”

He was Satan’s number one servant against the church.

It was this rage that sent him on a trip to Damascus.
But Saul would never persecute another believer,
For on the road Jesus would confront Him.

Acts 9:3-9 “As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.” The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.”

Ananias would lead Paul to faith in Jesus Christ,
AND PAUL’S LIFE WOULD MANIFEST AN INSTANT CHANGE.

Previously the biggest threat to the church, now the biggest threat to orthodox Judaism, and Paul’s life was instantly in danger.

He had to be sneaked out of the city in a basket at night.
And of course this was only the beginning.

And this was indeed his calling.
For even when God was leading Ananias to witness to Paul, God said:
Acts 9:15-16 “But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

But it didn’t matter, Paul was a new creation.
He was now the chosen instrument to preach the gospel.

And what we learn from Paul is exactly the type of person
God is using to preach the gospel.

Look at how Paul identifies himself.
“Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus”

“bond-servant” translates DOULOS

It finds it’s picture in the Old Testament.
Exodus 21:5-6 “But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,’ then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.”

It was the picture of one who was a willing slave.
They were not forced into submission, they chose to submit.
And they did it out of love for the master.

Their service was not to gain freedom…
Their service was not to gain power…
Their service was not to gain possessions…
Their service was simply a way to stay close to the master they loved.

And that is where we find Paul.
He loved Jesus, and desired to serve Him.

This is the type of person God uses to preach the gospel.
God used Paul because Paul loved God.

And there is a great place for us to start.

Earthly credentials are of absolutely no value.
(Remember how ordinary the disciples were)
God is looking for those who are totally in love with Him
And devoted to His service.

Look at what Paul said:
2 Corinthians 4:6-7 “For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;”

Paul said, God gave us “the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God”, and God stuck “this treasure in earthen vessels”

God doesn’t seek out the most beautiful vessels…
God doesn’t seek the most valuable vessels…
God stuck this gospel in an old clay pot.

God is looking for those who are whole-heartedly in love with Him.

Remember when Peter was recomissioned?
John 21:15 “So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.”

Paul was a bond-servant of Jesus.

WHAT TYPE OF PERSON PREACHES THE GOSPEL?
“A man with a sense of commitment to Jesus”

The Man
#2 THE MINISTRY
Romans 1:1b “called as an apostle”

We also recently talked about what this meant.
The apostolic authority that Jesus gave them in the upper room.

1 Thessalonians 2:6 “nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority.”

So in one sense,
Paul is reminding the Romans that this letter is not a suggestion,
But comes with the authority of Jesus Christ.

But in it’s purest sense,
Paul was “called as an apostle” simply meaning that he was a “sent one”.
Paul was knew that he had a purpose in life.
You can see that just by studying the book of Romans.

Romans 1:9-15 “For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine. I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles. I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.”

It is hard from that verse to decipher if Paul was under command,
Or if he was just doing what he wanted to.

SO SUBMISSIVE: “He wanted to do what he was commanded to do.”

Romans 11:13 “But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,”

Romans 15:14-21 “And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another. But I have written very boldly to you on some points so as to remind you again, because of the grace that was given me from God, to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Therefore in Christ Jesus I have found reason for boasting in things pertaining to God. For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, so that I would not build on another man’s foundation; but as it is written, “THEY WHO HAD NO NEWS OF HIM SHALL SEE, AND THEY WHO HAVE NOT HEARD SHALL UNDERSTAND.”

In fact, I think that Isaiah 52:15 (a verse he quotes there)
Must have been his verse of confirmation.

Paul knew that he was called by God to be an ambassador.

And this is the type of person that God uses.
It is hard for God to use a person who isn’t sure of his calling.

That type of person is requiring God
To orchestrate circumstances in his life
That will put him at the right place at the right time,
And also supposes that someone else will initiate the conversation.

Imagine you are a boss,
And this is how you have to communicate to your employees.
TALK ABOUT NEAR IMPOSSIBLE.
Yet that is how many expect God to use them.

And many seem quite content with their complete lack of service “God just hasn’t given me an opportunity.”

If you are not looking for people to share the gospel with,
Don’t be surprised if you never find someone.

Paul was focused. He knew he had been called (just as we have) And he was working towards obedience to that call.

WHAT TYPE OF PERSON PREACHES THE GOSPEL?
“A person with a sense of commitment to Jesus”
“A person with a sense of the calling of Jesus”

The Man, The Ministry
#3 THE MESSAGE
Romans 1:1c “set apart for the gospel of God.”

This really builds on and clarifies his sense of calling.
For Paul wasn’t just going.

Paul was a preacher of the gospel.
1 Corinthians 9:16 “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.”

You see this in his stubbornness to continue to preach the gospel, And in his unwillingness to be distracted from preaching the gospel.

1 Corinthians 1:17 “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.”

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 “And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”

It is apparent that Paul had a real sense of conviction.
He was a preacher of the gospel.

But not just any gospel.
“the gospel of God.”

Our world is full of gospels.
But that is not what we are to preach.
Paul was “set apart for the gospel of God.”
And this is really the crux of the book of Romans.
It is how God’s gospel is different from every other gospel.

Paul was committed to God’s gospel.
And it took commitment.

God’s gospel is not always readily seen as good news.
It strips you naked before it clothes you.
It puts you on your face before it picks you up.
It breaks your heart so it can mend your heart.

The gospel can be quite offensive.

Remember this fellow?
Luke 3:16-18 “John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. “His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” So with many other exhortations he preached the gospel to the people.”

The gospel is offensive to people,
It offends their love of self, and requires the loss of everything in the world.

But that also comes with a message of hope, joy, and eternal life.
It is GRACE revealed through WRATH.
It is MERCY revealed through JUDGMENT.
It is LOVE revealed through REJECTION.

 It tells men that they are filled with sin, totally depraved, unworthy of any good thing, and incapable of changing.

 It tells men they must completely turn their backs on themselves, and let go of everything they love in life.

 It requires the complete forsaking of their personal hopes, dreams, and all their worldly treasures.

 It requires brokenness, and hatred of sin, mourning over our own wickedness, and hungering for the things of God.

It is the narrow gate that Jesus spoke of.

BUT WITH IT COMES THE GOOD NEWS OF GOD’S FORGIVENESS.
That “what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did; sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us…”
THAT IS GOD’S GOSPEL AND IT IS GOOD NEWS.
And Paul was committed to it.

That is the type of person that God uses.
But we are finding fewer and fewer who actually do it.

The gospel is so distorted today, it isn’t funny.
And that shouldn’t surprise us.

2 Timothy 4:1-4 “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”

Galatians 1:6-9 “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!”

AND WHAT A SHAME.
Because the gospel is the only way of salvation.

Romans 1:16 “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.”

People cannot be saved apart from the preaching of the gospel.
So if people will not preach it, God does not use them.

Paul however was a preacher of the gospel, and he was used of God.

WHAT TYPE OF PERSON PREACHES THE GOSPEL?
“A person with a sense of commitment to Jesus”
“A person with a sense of the calling of Jesus”
“A person with a sense of conviction to preach the gospel of God”

ARE YOU THAT TYPE OF PERSON?

Paul was, and only eternity will truly show
How much this “bond-servant” was used by God.

OH THAT WE WOULD FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE.

1 Corinthians 9:16 “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.”