The first reading is from Romans 1, 1-15.
For the sake of his name among all nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints,
grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you,
because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.
For God is my witness, whom I serve with his spirit, the gospel of his Son,
that without ceasing I mention you, always in my prayers,
asking that somehow, by God's will, I may now at last succeed in coming to you.
For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you,
that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine.
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you,
but thus far have been prevented,
in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles.
I am under obligations both to Greeks and to barbarians,
both to the wise and to the foolish,
for I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
In May 1738,
a 30-year-old man walked into a Christian meeting at Aldersgate, London,
and upon hearing the message, he put his faith in Christ.
And what makes this story remarkable
isn't that a young man came to faith,
although that's remarkable,
be remarkable these days, absolutely.
But it's that this 30-year-old man was an Anglican minister
for some 10 years before he walked into this meeting.
Not only that, he was Oxford-trained,
and he even spent time in the New World
being a chaplain for the British colony in Georgia.
This young man was a religious man,
yet to his own testimony,
his heart was cold towards the things of God.
So on that night,
in 1738,
the Reverend John Wesley heard
Martin Luther's preface to St. Paul's epistle to the Romans,
this very thing,
many of us are holding in our hands,
and his heart was warmed.
And he wrote about this encounter in his journal,
and this is what he said,
quote,
About a quarter before nine,
while he was describing the change
which God works in the heart through faith in Christ,
I felt my heart strangely warmed.
I felt I did trust in Christ,
Christ alone for salvation,
and an assurance was given me
that he had taken away my sins,
even mine.
And save me from the law of sin and death,
end quote.
You know,
all scripture we say in this church
is God's word written,
it is breathed out by God,
yet Romans
holds a very unique place in the canon
and in many of our lives.
John Wesley,
whom I just read this story,
had his heart strangely warmed
towards the Lord
through the reading
and explaining
of Paul's letter to the epistle.
St. Augustine as well,
if you're familiar with his confessions,
he will talk about
hearing this voice,
say,
pick up and read,
and what he ends up reading
is a portion from Romans.
I know somebody close to me
that it was their experience as well,
hearing the gospel
explained by St. Paul
in Romans
that opened up their eyes
to the fact that they were truly saved.
Maybe it's the case for some of you
this morning.
All of God's
scriptures,
all of scripture is God's word written,
yet Romans
is really a remarkable book.
And as we turn to it
over these next few weeks
leading up to Easter,
we'll take a break from it.
We'll jump back into it in September.
Our goal is to hit the entire book
probably in three to four sections
over the next couple years.
But as we get into this,
we're going to see what the gospel is all about.
We're going to see how the gospel
is the very means
by which God draws people to himself,
that it is the only way
by which men and women can be saved.
And it isn't
just a nice set
of intellectual propositions
that we ascend to,
but it is
the only good,
true good news
that can truly fulfill the human heart.
So we're going to turn our attention
this morning
to this opening greeting
in Romans chapter 1,
verses 1 to 15,
and we'll see the centrality
of the gospel.
And we're going to keep things
very simple,
and we're going to look at
the author,
the message,
and then the implications
of the gospel.
The author,
the message,
the implications.
A bit of a background
before we jump into it.
So Romans was written around,
the historians and theologians,
figure about 57 AD,
AD 57,
by the Apostle Paul.
In terms of the biblical timeline,
if you're familiar
with the narrative in Acts,
we were in Acts
not too long ago,
but this would be
almost certainly
during Paul's
third missionary journey.
He's held up in Corinth
for a number of months,
and we believe that
that's when he wrote this,
this letter to this church in Rome.
Regarding the geopolitical situation,
interestingly,
it was written not long
after Claudius' expulsion
of the Jews from Rome.
That happened around AD 41.
It lasted to about AD 54.
And this is significant for us.
Not so much this morning,
although we'll see it,
its significance
throughout the weeks to come.
But here's why it's significant.
The church in Rome
almost certainly
was a mixed group
of Jews and non-Jews.
Jews and Greeks
and barbarians,
we'll see barbarians
as a term simply
to refer to Gentiles
who aren't Greeks.
So it's a mixed church,
and it would seem
that there was a number
of Jewish people
coming to faith in Jesus,
and it caused frustration
and alarm
amongst the non-believing
Jewish population.
So much so
that Claudius
expelled all of the Jews
from Rome.
So what ends up happening
is the church continues
to grow,
but it has lost
its understanding
and its connection
to its Jewish roots.
So, again,
this is just for background.
We're not going to get
into it this morning,
but we'll see that
Paul's going to address
a lot of these questions.
The church in Rome
would have had
about 10 years,
maybe longer,
devoid of Jewish believers.
So how would this
once mixed church respond
when some Jewish believers
return?
Again, maybe two to three years
after the expulsion
edict is lifted.
How would this tension
be navigated theologically?
Is it enough
to just have Jesus
completely separated
from the Hebrew scriptures
and the Hebrew patriarchs
and the Hebrew prophets
and the Hebrew people?
Do they still have a place?
Paul will answer this
throughout the letter,
but again,
we won't touch on it today.
So,
Paul has yet to meet
this Roman church.
He's long desired
to see them
as we'll read
in verse 13.
So he introduces himself
to them,
not unlike other letters,
but in a more expansive way
and in doing so,
he reveals not only
his identity
and bona fides,
so to speak,
but also provides
a very succinct
yet incredibly dense
explainer of the gospel.
Okay?
So that's a bit of the background
going into the letter.
We're just gonna look
at our first point,
who this author is,
who St. Paul is,
verse one.
Paul,
a servant of Jesus,
of Christ Jesus,
called to be an apostle,
set apart for the gospel
of God.
This will be a short point,
I think it's,
though it's very helpful
to draw your attention
to a couple of things.
Notice how Paul leads
with his bona fides.
I guess first consider
what he does not include
in there.
Now later on,
he'll talk about
how he's a Hebrew of Hebrews,
that he's from the tribe
of Benjamin,
he's a Pharisee,
he's knowledgeable,
doesn't mention any of that.
What does he mention
first off?
That he is a servant
of Christ.
He also mentions
that he is an apostle.
And on the surface,
these titles seem
somewhat conflicting.
Why?
Because of the
the disproportionate
separation of status
between a servant
and an apostle.
A servant,
it would be best
to describe it
or translate it
as a bond servant
or a slave.
Now,
just right off the bat,
this isn't the same
as Roman slavery existed.
In fact,
slavery has existed
in almost every culture
throughout time.
Roman slavery
is not the same
as chattel slavery
with the transatlantic
slave trade.
nevertheless,
even though
these Roman slaves
would have had
status
and affluence,
they were
lesser on the hierarchy.
So much so
that a Roman citizen,
it was against the law
for a Roman citizen
to become a slave.
So even though
a slave
in Paul's day,
in the first century,
would have had
somewhat high status,
they were still
pretty much
close to the bottom rung
of the social hierarchy.
So Paul is
a slave of Christ.
Yet on the other hand,
he is
an apostle.
Now the apostles,
at least within
the Christian community,
were held
with the highest esteem.
The apostles
were the ones
who walked
with Jesus,
who interacted
with Jesus
intimately,
who knew
the sound
of his voice
and sat
under his teaching.
Now the apostle Paul
becomes an apostle
not with the 12
and then later
the 11,
but rather
when he is
on his way
to persecute
the church
on the Damascus road
and the risen Lord
Jesus Christ
reveals himself
to Paul
and commissions him
to be an apostle.
Nevertheless,
the apostle
whom Paul
says he is,
I mean,
right up there
with the prophets
of old,
maybe even higher
in terms of
religious status.
So we have
a slave
on one hand
and an apostle
on the other.
And yet Paul
is identifying
himself as both.
Both as a servant
and an apostle
entrusted with the gospel.
I think the big
takeaway from all this
is that
the apostle Paul
is recognizing
and stating
right off the get-go
that his life
is not his own.
He has agency,
he is not
some kind
of automaton.
Nevertheless,
he is in
the service
of a higher power
of a higher king.
The apostle's
life is
no longer
his own.
He has been
commissioned by God
to proclaim
the gospel
specifically
to the Greeks
and to the barbarians.
So,
what is this
gospel of God
that he is set
apart for,
that he is
commissioned
to proclaim?
This gets into
our second point.
This will be
the longest section
that we look into.
It's verses 2 to 7.
But before we get
into the text,
a bit of the term
gospel.
Now,
gospel's a very
churchy word.
We've heard it
if you've come to church,
if you've come to this church
for some time.
It's a very
churchy word
and I've probably
not done the greatest job
explaining it,
rather assuming
that people know
what it is.
Okay?
That's on me
if you're like,
I've been coming
to this church
for a while
and I don't know
what the gospel is.
You know,
come to me,
let me know
so I can apologize
to you about that.
Nevertheless,
it's a word
that a lot of us
take for granted
that we know.
We have it defined
in our minds
or at least
we think we do.
And really,
this is what
the gospel is.
The gospel literally
means a good message.
It's a message
of victory
that in the ancient world,
it's not exclusive
to Christianity,
would be heralded
by a messenger.
So,
if you think about
in the first century
or the centuries
leading up to
the writing
of the epistle,
you think of
a big battle,
the victory is won,
peace is achieved,
and then a herald
will go before the king
city and proclaim
that the king
is coming back,
the victorious king
would be coming back.
This is what
a gospel is.
This is what
the good news
would entail.
Now,
this makes sense
in connection
to what we're
going to look at,
although,
it is not exactly
an apples to apples
comparison.
Jesus truly is,
and what we'll see,
is that he truly is
the victorious king,
but he is not
the victorious king
that unsheathes
the sword
and puts to death
enemies,
but rather
a king that
himself dies
so that he can
conquer sin
and death.
So,
this is what
the good news is
that we will encounter
throughout this letter.
Now,
there's many facets
to it,
and this is going
to be the whole
job and journey
of us
to figure out
as we go through
Romans
over the next
few weeks.
But Paul goes
on to explain
in a very succinct
way in the next
few verses,
outlining five
aspects of this
good news.
This is what it
says,
I'll read verses
one to six,
and then we're
going to jump
right into it
and look at
these five
aspects of the
gospel.
Paul,
a servant
of Christ Jesus,
called to be
an apostle,
set apart for
the gospel
of God,
which he promised
beforehand
through his
prophets in
the holy scriptures
concerning his
son,
who was descended
from David
according to the
flesh,
and was declared
to be the son
of God
and power
according to
the spirit
of holiness
by his
resurrection
from the dead,
Jesus Christ,
our Lord,
through whom
we have received
grace and
apostleship
to bring about
the obedience
of faith for
the sake of
his name
among all
the nations,
including you,
who are called
to belong to
Christ Jesus.
That is a
long sentence.
Let's break it
down.
First,
you'll notice
that the gospel
originates with
God the Father.
We see that at
the end of
verse 1.
It is not a
human invention
by Paul or
another earthly
church leader.
Because it
originates with
God, it
cannot therefore
be a contingency
plan.
What do I mean
by this?
It is not as
though God
created this
beautiful,
perfect world
and then
Adam and
Eve fell,
what we call
original sin,
the fall,
capital F,
and God was
scrambling to
figure out how
to fix it.
As if it
just, you
know, this
catastrophe
presented itself
and caught God
unawares.
Rather, this
has been the
plan of God
from before
all time.
Among God's
many attributes,
and this is
where understanding
some bits of
doctrine help
us to read
scripture better,
among God's
many attributes
that are exclusive
to him, which
means that we
don't share
them with God
in any way,
God is omniscient.
What does that
mean?
God's omniscience
means that he
knows all and
is surprised by
nothing.
All of his plans
and all of his
actions are not
in response to
surprises or
advances that
come upon him.
It means that
what God has
willed has been
willed from
before time.
Now, again,
we take this
mystery by faith
because it's
hard for finite
minds to grasp
an infinite God.
Nevertheless, it's
an important
point.
God is sovereign
in his will.
We do not have
time this morning
to take this
theological detour
into the sovereignty
of God in
relation to human
agency.
prophecy.
We're going to
touch on that in
later weeks in
Romans, especially
when we get to
Romans chapter 9.
That's when things
get really wonderfully
complicated.
However, I want to
make the point that
God originates, the
gospel originates with
God and is his
planned good news of
victory over sin and
death forever.
Okay, the second
thing that we see in
this short little
opening from the
apostle Paul, that
it is promised good
news.
You'll notice that in
verse 2, that God
promised beforehand
through his prophets
in the Holy
Scriptures.
He's talking about the
Old Testament here.
It is promised good
news.
So this is a new
revelation from God,
something he wanted
to introduce through
Paul or even Jesus
himself.
And yes, the gospel
for sure is fully
revealed in Christ as
we will see here this
morning and in the
weeks to come.
However, the promise
that God would remedy
and redeem the
corruption and decay of
sin and death, it
goes all the way back
to the opening chapters
of the Bible, which
is to say that it is
the promised good news
of God's victory.
We see allusions, we
see symbols, we hear
prophecies.
There are numerous
instances in the Old
Testament that will say
pretty explicitly,
oftentimes implicitly,
that God is not okay
with what he sees with
sin and death and he is
looking to remedy it.
What will it look like?
He gives little clues,
leaves a breadcrumb trail,
so to speak.
But it's not absent from
the Old Testament.
Now, this is very
important for us because
there are other religions
that have come since
Christianity that have
claimed the same thing,
that claim a Genesis
back to, say, Genesis.
But a simple examination
of Scripture shows that
Muhammad would not be the
last and final prophet.
That Joseph Smith, for
instance, he did not
stumble upon a hidden truth.
In fact, so much of the
false religions that have
taken place since
Christianity came about,
they will always tinker
and tamper in some kind
of way with God's
Scripture so that they
either deny it completely
or they find in it
falsely proof that
justifies their religion
and beliefs.
The Gospel is promised
good news, finding its
Genesis in Genesis and
throughout the rest of
the Old Testament.
Thirdly, and most
importantly for us to
truly understand, is that
the Gospel concerns God
the Son.
God the Son.
Here is our first
example of Paul getting
incredibly specific in
Romans, wasting zero ink
about who Jesus is,
what he came to do.
The Gospel concerning the
Son is tied to the
incarnation, right off the
bat, Paul says.
God the Son descended,
taking on human flesh,
descended from the line
of David, yet he remained
fully God.
Not only that, but his
earthly ministry was both
humble and powerful, as
evidenced by his conquering
the greatest foe, death,
and through which he would
die himself and rise again
from the dead.
He defeats death by
death.
And here is where we
begin to see that this
good news is completely
connected to God the Son
being fully man and fully
God.
Not only has Paul cited the
incarnation, he has also
referenced the resurrection,
which is to say that he
has in mind the entirety of
Jesus' life culminating in
the victory over the grave and
his ascension to heaven.
This eternal plan of God,
promised in the scriptures,
carried out by the Son, was
for all humanity.
And this is then the fourth
point that Paul will make.
The scope of this gospel is
for all nations.
Later on in the letter, Paul
will talk about the primacy of
the people of Israel throughout
the Old Testament as God's
chosen people, and how
although they will continue to
have a special place in the
biblical narrative, not least
because the Savior was born a
Jew, but that this gospel
then is expanded and it
becomes good news for all
people.
All have sinned and fallen
short of the glory of God,
Paul will say in Romans
chapter 3.
So if a human being exists
that has fallen into sin or
has missed the mark or who
has corrupted relationships or
a distorted way of thinking,
whose desires are all askew,
Paul says the gospel is for
you.
It is for you.
The scope of the gospel is for
all people.
All have been corrupted by sin,
which means all have the
inability to fix and redeem
and to become enlightened and
save themselves.
Therefore, all need a Savior and
all are therefore in need of the
gospel.
And then finally, the fifth
point that he makes is the
purpose of the gospel.
The purpose of the gospel to
bring praise and glory to the
one and only true king of all.
And this is expressed in two
ways.
The first is found in verse 6.
It means it's for all who
belong to Christ.
It means that we belong to him.
And again, Paul here is like he
is packing this one sentence
with numerous hyperlinks that
we could click on and explore
and we will explore in the
weeks to come.
But it is to say that through
the Holy Spirit, God is calling
people to himself to a life
under good and godly rule of
the one true God who is king and
lord over all.
It means like the apostle Paul
says in that opening verse that
if you are in Christ, you are no
longer your own.
You have become a new creation
and also a bondservant or a
slave of Christ.
He is your master.
I'll just pause really quickly
here because I don't want to be
mastered by anybody.
Whether you're a Christian or
somebody who is struggling with
the faith or maybe completely
outside of the faith, who wants
to be called a slave?
Who wants to be called somebody
who has a master?
We have moved on from such
uncomfortable statements.
But I think, and the more I
thought about this, the more it
made sense for me, okay, for me.
Maybe for you as well.
But I fashion myself as somebody
who is in charge of my own life.
But I am mastered by many things,
okay?
I am a slave to other things.
The stark reality is that
I am a slave, and maybe you
are as well, to your appetites,
to the pressures of performance
and achievement, to your desires
that aren't evil but terribly
disordered and thus becoming
evil.
You are a slave
to
the thought of
kicking back, putting up your
feet, and just resting as if that
is the pinnacle of your
week.
You are mastered by
things.
You are a slave to
things.
It's an uncomfortable truth, but
be honest with yourself.
Ask yourself, if you truly are in
the driver's seat of your life,
in all respects,
put another way,
we think we are
lords of our lives,
but we
certainly are not.
We think we sit on the throne
of our hearts, but we
certainly are not.
But with Christ,
this
master of all,
this lord of all,
this king of all,
he's perfectly just.
And he is
such a just
master
that he begins to shape
us and form us
so that the disordered parts
of our lives
become more
ordered.
We
begin to rightly
enjoy the things
that are good
that we have
previously
enjoyed a bit
too much
or put too much
emphasis upon.
We
begin to,
in a very
real way,
begin to look like
Christ.
He
shapes us
to conform
to him.
That's the first
way,
in verse 6,
we become
Christ's.
The second
way
that we
give glory
to him
is by
growing in
our fidelity
and obedience
to that king.
So it's not just
that he
makes us
his own,
but he,
again,
like I've
briefly mentioned,
he begins to
fashion us
and conform
us to
look like
him.
He,
the apostle
Paul says this
in verse 5,
through whom
we have
received grace,
that is
the power
and strength,
to bring
about the
obedience of
faith,
that is the
conformity
to that
king.
And he
gives us
the Holy
Spirit,
the very
power that
raised Jesus
from the
dead,
to help us
obey him
and live
under his
good and
beautiful
rule.
Five points
that mark
the gospel,
what the
gospel is all
about.
Not an
exhaustive list,
but certainly
a comprehensive
one for us
this morning.
And in them
we begin to
see that
this gospel
message is
not simply
this proclamation
that there
was a king
that defeated
death long
ago and
we,
it's great,
it's wonderful,
but that
this good
news
is actually
about a
human being
that lived
and died
and rose
again.
So less
about a
news brief
and more
about a
person.
And all
of which is
summed up in
verse 7.
Read with
me,
verse 7.
To all
those in
Rome who
are loved
by God,
called to
be saints,
and then he
says,
grace to you
and peace
from God
our Father
and the
Lord Jesus
Christ.
The love
of God,
it fuels
all of this,
for God
loves us
first,
before we
knew him,
before we
could recognize
our need
for him,
before the
gospel was
ever a
concept that
entered into
our minds.
his completely
undeserved love
for us,
marks us
above all,
for he
calls us,
beckons us
to joyfully
live out this
life.
And that
doesn't mean
a life devoid
of difficulty
or sadness,
but a life
of joy and
fulfillment in
him.
What he does
is that he
makes a sinner
into a saint.
He transforms
the lowly and
broken into
redeemed
children of
God.
And this
is what
grace does
to the
human heart.
It gives
us a peace
that we
so desperately
desire,
yet our
corrupted
hearts are
incapable of
enjoying.
Peace with
God and
peace with
one another
is available
to us
through Christ.
This is
what the
gospel is
according to
Saint Paul.
That gospel
that gives
us grace
and peace
making us
saints
because of
God's love.
And now we
will see the
implications
of that
gospel in
our third
point.
Look with
me at
verses 8
to 11.
Actually,
before we
get into
this,
I'll just
say this.
As is the
case with
this opening
bit,
there's a
lot that we
could draw
from this
next section
looking at
the implications
of the
gospel.
We'll look
at three
implications
of the
gospel.
Now look
with me at
verses 8
to 11.
First,
I thank
my God
through Jesus
Christ for
all of
you.
Because your
faith is
proclaimed in
all the
world,
for God
is my
witness,
whom I
serve with
my spirit
in the
gospel of
his son,
that without
ceasing I
mention you
always in
my prayers,
asking that
somehow by
God's will I
may now at
last succeed
in coming to
you.
For I
long to
see you.
And now we
start to see
that the
apostle,
he's not met
these people,
but he loves
these people.
For I
long to
see you that
I may impart
to you some
spiritual gift
to strengthen
you.
And we'll
pause here.
Again,
much to draw
from these
verses,
but three
brief implications
of the
gospel.
First is that
the gospel
will result
in you
praying more.
The gospel
will make you
prayerful.
And we see
this in verses
8 to 11.
As the gospel
begins to
shape you,
you will
realize your
ongoing need
for God's
grace and
power in
your life.
You'll become
humble.
And when
people become
humble,
what ends
up happening
is that the
delusional
thoughts and
tendencies begin
to disappear.
What do I
mean by that?
We can be
awfully delusional
about our
ability to fix
ourselves or
the situations
around us.
Such things
are beyond
our ability
to fix,
and yet somehow
we think that
if we only have
this conversation
with this
person,
or we're
able to
tweak this
relationship
or incorporate
this aspect
of a healthy
lifestyle,
then we will
remedy the
problems that
we face.
So,
example for
me.
I had a
difficult
situation a
couple weeks
ago with
somebody close
to me,
and in
my mind,
for hours,
on and off,
throughout the
days,
and I'm not
exaggerating,
I promise
you,
okay?
I'm thinking
about,
I'm conspiring
about how
to fix
this,
okay?
How to say
it in such
a way that
it's going
to be heard,
how to tweak
the situation
with this one
person because
it's eating
me up,
until I
realized,
okay,
that I was
delusional.
And then
realizing that
this situation
is far bigger
than I can
handle,
and then I
realized,
oh wait,
I have a
God that
conquered
death.
Maybe if I
pray to him,
he can help
me.
And maybe he
will,
maybe he
won't in
his timing,
in his way,
that will be
satisfactory to
me,
but clearly
whatever he
decides to do
will be better
than what I
can do in
my own
strength.
And this is
what happens
with the
gospel.
We become
humble,
okay?
I'm not saying
I'm like a
super humble
person.
I'm using it
as an
example,
okay?
But
nevertheless,
we become
humble people
and we
realize that
we can be
awfully delusional.
So,
with the
gospel,
we see our
great need
for God's
grace and
power in
our daily
lives and
we desire
the same
for others.
So what
do we do?
We call
upon the
name of
God
to help.
Second
implication,
the need
for godly
Christian
community.
Read
verse 11
and 12
with me.
We've read
verse 11,
but we'll
read it
again.
For I
long to
see you
that I
may impart
to you
some
spiritual
gift to
strengthen
you.
That is,
that we
may be
mutually
encouraged
by each
other's
faith,
both
yours
and mine.
The
Christian
faith is
a communal
faith.
Often,
the Lord
ministers to
us through
the godly
encouragement
and exhortation
of others.
And it's
even true for
the apostles
themselves.
So listen,
the apostle
Paul comes
to this
church in
Rome.
They are
doing a lot
of good
things well.
He's talked
about how
their faith
is known
across the
Christian
world.
But nevertheless,
there are people
that need
a very long
letter to help
them navigate
some difficult
situations.
And yet,
he says,
listen,
I want to
come here,
I want to
strengthen
you,
but I
need you
to strengthen
me.
What does
the apostle
Paul need
strengthening
for from
them?
And yet,
that's what
he says.
I think
as we pray
and ask
the Lord's
intervention
into our
lives,
we will
find that
it will
come by
the people
sitting around
you in
this room.
In fact,
I would be so
bold to say
that you can't
be a Christian
if you are not
connected to a
local church.
Like,
you can't be.
if there's a
season,
for whatever
reason,
you're not
in church,
you don't
necessarily
cease to be
a Christian,
get back to
church.
I mean,
you guys are
all here,
so I'm not
really speaking
to anybody
who needs
to hear it.
Nevertheless,
to be a
Christian and
completely severed
from the
church is not
to be a
Christian.
The third
century church
father,
Cyprian of
Carthage,
says,
and there's
a lot to
this statement,
but I think
it helps us
to understand
this implication
of the gospel
that no one
can have God
for his father
who does not
have the church
for his mother.
Which is to
say,
this is God's
plan for your
growth and
for your
spiritual welfare.
The third
implication of the
gospel,
you will share
the faith,
evangelism,
evangelism will
become a
part of your
life.
Read with me
verses 13 to
the end of our
section to
verse 15.
I do not want
you to be
unaware,
brothers and
sisters,
that I have
often intended
to come to
you,
but thus far
have been
prevented.
In order that
I may reap
some harvest
among you as
well as among
the rest of
the Gentiles,
I am under
obligation both
to Greeks
and to
barbarians,
that is,
non-Greeks,
both to the
wise and to
the foolish,
so I am
eager to preach
the gospel to
you also who
are in.
Rome.
Yes,
the apostle Paul
had a very
unique calling
as an apostle
to proclaim
the gospel to
a portion of
a world that
had never heard
of Jesus Christ
before,
a very unique
calling.
However,
what is not
unique about
the apostle
is his
obligation to
evangelize.
What do I mean
by this?
Verse 14,
it says this,
I am under
obligation both
to Greeks and
to barbarians,
obligation to
preach the
gospel.
I don't like
that,
I don't like
being obliged
to do
anything,
so maybe a
better reading
and some of
the commentaries
I looked at,
they would say
actually there is
a better reading
and that is to
be a debtor,
well that doesn't
help much either
because I don't
want to be in
debt to
anybody.
So what is
the apostle Paul
trying to
communicate to
us?
So I think
it's helpful
to consider
this debtor
language and
we can
understand debt
as two
different things.
The first,
you take a
business loan,
you take a
mortgage,
whatever,
you're in debt
to the bank
until you pay
back every cent
and they're
coming for
that every cent.
The second
way is that
somebody entrusts
you with
some form of
money or an
object for
you to give
to somebody
else.
I don't know
if this happens
too much in
our day but
it would be a
very common
thing in the
ancient world.
You then become
a debtor until
you have handed
over that
message, that
item, that
sum of money
to the person
it was intended
for.
So likewise
with the gospel
we have been
given this
enormous sum
and I think
by the way
it's the second
one that is
very helpful
for us.
So likewise
with the gospel
we have been
given an
enormous sum
freely and
lavishly by
God.
He has given
us salvation.
He has given
us his very
son.
And Paul is
saying here
that it is not
just a prize
or a gift
for us
to hold
and to
cherish
but the
way to
truly cherish
the gospel
to truly
cherish
Christ
is to
continue
sharing him
with others.
It's an
ongoing debt
that we owe
to all whom
the Lord
desires to
call to
himself
that we
are connected
to.
Now
that freaks
you out
it's okay
consider
verse 15
so I am
eager to
preach the
gospel to
you also
who are in
Rome.
Paul is
not saying
listen you
are heavy
laden with
a debt to
evangelize
suck it
up.
He is
communicating
immediately
after that
he is eager
that he is
excited
that he is
joyful
to do so.
Listen to
struggle with
sharing our
faith is a
real thing
but again
circling back
to prayer
and the
community
that you're
a part of
is to
rightly
understand
that you
can't do
this by
yourself.
Again
this is an
implication
of the
gospel
but not
for you
solo
but for
you to
look to
others
for strength
and pointers
and that
includes reading
biographies
and church
history
and digging
into the
scriptures
and asking
the Lord
for help
but nevertheless
this is our
calling
this is
gospel
implication.
I think it
starts at
home.
I think it
starts among
us.
Notice how
Paul is
very clear
that in
verse 13
that he
is hoping
to reap
a harvest
among you
as well
as among
the rest
of the
Gentiles.
Verse 15
he is eager
to preach
the gospel
to you
who are
in Rome.
Paul is
trying to
preach the
gospel
to Christians
not because
he thinks
that they
need to
get saved
every day
or every
moment
but rather
the gospel
is something
for the
unbelieving
world
but also
for us
so start
at home.
Start in
your home.
Start with
your children
if you have
them,
with your
spouse
if you
have one,
with parents
or friends,
with fellow
believers here.
It doesn't
mean hey let
me tell you
about the
bridge analogy.
You know you
hand somebody
a track here
on a Sunday
but it's
saying listen
the Lord has
blessed me
this week.
Let me tell
you how it
happened.
Or I was
just thinking
through this
implication of
what it means
to live
according to
the gospel
in Romans
chapter 1.
this is what
the Lord
spoke to
me or
gave me
an insight
about.
And all
of a sudden
we begin
to talk
about the
Lord.
We begin
to talk
about Christ
and that
becomes
the next
thing after
small talk.
It also
is my
job to
help equip
us to
feel confident
to share
the gospel
to rightly
understand it
and your
job to
dig deep
and to not
give into
feelings of
apathy or
fear.
in some
there's more
implications
but in some
these three
applications
in some
the implication
of the
gospel is
that you
will be
formed and
shaped into
the likeness
of Christ.
You'll
become an
imitator of
him and
participate in
the life and
ministry of
Jesus himself.
Let's close
with this.
In Matthew
13 Jesus
tells two
parables.
They're back
to back.
They're super
short.
One is about
a man who
finds a
treasure in
a field.
Another is
about a
merchant who
seeks an
expensive
pearl.
In both
cases these
men upon
finding the
treasure and
the pearl they
sell everything
they have to
acquire them.
Everything.
It seems
crazy.
It seems
crazy.
But Jesus
tells this
parable to
help us see
that the
gospel isn't
just a nice
add-on to
our life that
kind of makes
things a bit
more cheery or
guarantees us a
place in the
world to
come and
we kind
of have
that taken
care of.
We move
on with
life.
It's
something that
is to be
all-encompassing,
something that
should bring us
great joy and
excitement.
Nevertheless,
for those who
hear the gospel
and are excited
by it,
who feel like,
yes, there's this
treasure in a
field or yes,
there's this
pearl that I
have found,
yet I'm kind
of afraid of
throwing it all
into one
basket or to
put all my
eggs into one
basket.
The cost is
too much.
The implications
are too
life-changing.
I want to say
I hear you.
And yet, on
the same time,
I do not want
to diminish
those two
parables because
they are beautiful
and they, at the
same time, are
jarring.
The implications
and cost of the
gospel, they are
great, but
friends, let me
assure you that
there is no
better life than
knowing God and
being known by
him because of
what his son has
done on the
cross of Calvary.
I can, and
maybe this is me
sharing the gospel
with you guys, and
maybe after the
service you can do
the same to one
another.
God has never
left me or
forsook me.
Okay?
The times where I
think the cost is
too much, here I
am.
Maybe you guys
have a similar
testimony.
Okay?
Maybe you have
gone through a
really difficult
season and you're
thinking the cost is
too much to trust
God for the
everyday of my
life, and yet you
are still here.
He has never left
you or forsaken
you.
Okay?
This is the gospel
proclaimed to you
this morning from me,
but proclaim it to
one another.
And friends, if you
have that treasure in
the field, if you
see that pearl, sell
everything you have
and buy it.
The cost of the
field, the price of
the pearl, it is
worth it.
And remember, you're
not alone.
We get to do this
together.
As we go through
Romans these next
few weeks, this is
my prayer for our
time in this
wonderful epistle.
That we would grow
into this gospel
reality together.
That we would bless
and encourage one
another.
Yes, by meals and
nice words and kind
gestures and acts of
service, very
important.
But above all, by
proclaiming the gospel
to one another.
And growing in our
ability and strength
to proclaim the
gospel to the world
we live in.
For the good news
is that God has
loved us.
And he has
demonstrated his
love in us, to
us, in his
blessed son.
Amen.