Romans
1:1-17 - Introduction to Romans
Intro :
Tonight we are beginning or study in the book of Romans ! Awesome book /
Powerful book !
A) Paul's letter to the
Christians in Rome is actually a kind of "fifth
gospel."
Been referred to as the Gospel according to grace !
B) The gospels of Matthew,
Mark, Luke, and John bear witness to the life, death, and resurrection of
Jesus,
1) The gospel of Romans bears
witness to the life-changing power of Jesus.
C) One early Church Father said
concerning the book of Romans: When
anyone gains a knowledge of this letter, he has an entrance to all the hidden
treasures of Scripture."
D) The poet Samuel Taylor
Coleridge called Romans "the most
profound work in existence." & F. F. Bruce, the insightful Bible
commentator noted that Romans has liberated the minds of men &
has , brought then back to an understanding of the essential Gospel of Christ,
and started spiritual revolutions!
E) Another commentator noted wherever the message of Romans
is eagerly received, startling events take place. Hearts are changed. Spiritual revivals explode.
Whole churches, cities, and institutions are rocked on their foundations
Paul wrote the
book of Romans in the Winter of A.D. 56 or 57 while he was in the city of Corinth
!
A) As we begin our journey through the book of Romans we should place this document in its
cultural and historical context.
B) The world of the apostle
Paul was a broken world, full of misery
immorality & injustice.
1) The world was under the heel
of Rome, and the Roman empire was ruled by Nero, cruel and insane king.
C) Nero was known not only for his political
treachery, hut for his gross sexual immorality. The Roman historian Tacitus, in
The Annals, observed, "Nero, who
polluted himself by every lawful or lawless indulgence, had not omitted a
single abomination which could heighten his depravity." D) Even more
appalling than Nero's obscene debaucheries was his sadistic persecution of the
early Christian church.
1) For the followers of Jesus
Christ, he had nothing but hatred.
E) Tacitus wrote, "Nero . . . inflicted the most intense tortures on a class . . . called Christians
.... Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of
beasts, they torn apart by dogs or were
nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames.'' in fact, hundreds of
Christians were covered with pitch, hung on poles & burned in his garden /
road naked screaming
This was the
world of the Apostle Paul - a bloody
perilous, cruel world.
A) And yet it was just such a broken world that God, through his servant
Paul, chose to penetrate with a new manifesto, a new gospel of wholeness.
B) And the Lord has been working through this epistle of Romans ever since
to reach the lives of broken people in a broken World !
C) Three centuries after the
writing of Romans, there lived a North Africa a Roman named Augustine.
1) Like Paul's world in the
first century, Augustine's world was a broken world. The Roman empire was
crumbling
D) In his autobiography, The Confessions, Augustine
describes the intense spiritual war that raged within him when he was a young
man.
1) Recognizing that he was
powerless to live a sinless life by his own power, he was relentlessly haunted
by the memory of past sins. "I was tossed about, and wasted, he
wrote, I boiled over in my fornication
During this
time of spiritual anguish, he went out into his garden He took with him a
hand-copied volume of Romans given him by his mother.
A) Augustine wept bitterly for his lost soul,
certain that his sins were beyond forgiveness. And while he poured out his
tears, an unusual thing happened B)
From over the hedge of the garden, Augustine heard a child's voice
chanting, "Take up and read; take up and read." Seeing the book
at his feet,
1) Augustine felt that God was
using the child to speak to him, so
picked up the book of Romans, opened it, and began reading
C) In those moments, his life
was forever changed. Suddenly he understood not only the crisis of his sin but
its solution in Jesus Christ.
Like the
fourth century world of Augustine, the sixteenth-century world of Martin Luther
was a broken world.
A) The Christian church had hardened into an institution with enormous
wealth and worldly power.
B) Instead of offering
salvation by the preaching of God's Word, the corrupt institutional church had
begun selling salvation and other spiritual privileges for money in the form of
so-called "indulgences."
C) The church had also become
involved in political intrigues and manipulation of European governments.
1) But The richer and more powerful it became, the
more spiritually and morally bankrupt it became.
D) It was during this time that the Lord touched the
heart of a young man by the name of Martin Luther as he meditated on the 17 v.
of Ch. 1 The just shall live by faith !
E) Energized by this dynamic
insight into spiritual reality, Luther took a bold stand against the corrupt
church institution.
1) With Romans as his
authority, Luther proclaimed that men and women are justified by grace through
faith in Jesus Christ alone
F) And his proclamation set off a chain reaction of
renewal and revival that spread around the world: Known as the Protestant
Reformation.Like Luther’s world,
eighteenth-century England was a broken world of rampant unemployment, homelessness,
debtor's prisons, hunger, disease, and illiteracy.
A) These problems weighed
heavily upon a young minister by the name of John Wesley
B) Wesley spent 5 yrs working himself to death trying to impact England mostly
through reform ! Visited prisons , poorhouses , distributed cloths, medicine
1) But after 5yrs and being
totally exhausted he decided to go to America & try and minister to the
Indians !
C) But he was ineffective in
his efforts there & returned back to England in defeat, Feeling his whole
world again crumbling around him
On May 24,
1738, this dejected young man stood in a crowd at an outdoor evangelistic
meeting in Aldersgate Street, London.
A) On the wooden platform, a
preacher stood and read from Martin Luther's preface to the book of Romans.
B) There, for the 1st time, John Wesley grasped a truth from
Romans that he had missed throughout
his years of ministry: Salvation is by
grace through faith alone.
1) Wesley later recalled, "My heart was strangely warmed. I
trusted in Christ alone for salvation, and received the assurance that he had
taken away my sins and saved me from the law of sin and death.'
C) Result was another Revival
& Renewal that spread throughout England & across
the ocean
to America !
It seems that
whenever this book is studied that the Lord does radical things ! Let's Pray
that he does so w/ in our own Hearts !
A) V. 1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated
to the gospel of God
B) Paul begins w/ an introduction
he calls himself a bondservant or
literally a bondslave of Jesus Christ !
1) There were an estimated 60
million slaves in the Roman Empire; and a slave was looked on as a piece of
property, not a person.
C) But the term that Paul used doulos in the Greek meant on who willing chose to be a slave out of loving devotion for his master !
1) Ex. 21 gives some insight
into how this worked . In is Israel a slave was only required to serve 6 yrs !
After that they were set free
D) But if a slave really liked
his master / he could become a bondslave / one who willingly chose to serve his
master forever / nail ear
1) Paul had enslaved himself to
Christ, to be His servant and obey His will.
So Paul first identifies
himself as a bondslave & 2ndly as an Apostle
A) This word means “one who is sent by authority with a
commission.” It was applied in that day to the representatives of the
emperor of a king.
B) In the N.T. there are 3
groups of Apostles : God appointed one Apostle Jesus Christ / Heb.
3:1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers
of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our
confession, Christ Jesus,
D) Jesus appointed 12 apostles
who traveled w/ Him / and later Paul was considered a part of that group
1) One of the requirements for
an apostle was the experience of seeing the risen Christ (1 Cor. 9:1-2).
E) Paul saw Christ when he was
on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), and it was then that Christ called him to be
His apostle to the Gentiles.
1) But in the book of Acts Barnabas
, Titus Junia & quite a few others are referred to as Apostles appointed by
the H.S.
F) And to this day the H.S.
appoints apostles / missionaries who are sent out !
Note Paul said he was called
an Apostle ! That is the Key ! Matter
of calling
A) It is an awesome privilege
to be called as a missionary or into to some form of ministry !
B) But a call to be a teacher /
or a construction worker or a fireman is just as important if that is what God
has called you too.
1) The key thing is we want to
all be doing what God has called us to the best of our ability & w/ all of
our hearts !
C) Each one of us has a calling
& a gifting in the body of Christ / in this particular Church family ! What
is your calling !
1) Maybe it is to do music w/
kids / maybe it is to teach in Jails / maybe it is to work w/ teens ! whatever it is it is special !
D) Here is the problem that we
have sometimes have we think everyone should have our calling ! Missionary
everyone should ……
1) Not the way God has set up
the body / not all legs / eyes /
E) Blessed here - abundance of
gifted people , I went through a
situation in Oregon where we have some great Deacons / No Elders
1) Instead of just being happy
to have these great Deacons I was trying to turn them into Elders / wasn’t their
calling / pressure / condemnation
F) The point I am making is
each one of us have a calling & a place & we need to
make ourselves Bondservants to what
ever God has called us to
So Paul is a bondslave of
Jesus Christ; he is a called apostle; and he is "separated unto the gospel
of God."
A) He was separated unto the
gospel of God. Paul was a separated Christian, but he was separated to
something, not just from something
B) In 2 Tim. 2:22 Paul shares
this idea when he says to flee youthful lust by pursuing righteous ! Note Separate yourself from lust / separate
to Christ !
1) Sometimes people make the
mistake of separating themselves from sin or something wrong their doing/ clean
up their act / going to Church
C) But they are not separating
themselves to Jesus ! Result is religion / not relationship ! Barrenness is the result ! / No life
D) The word separated is a
marvelous word it is the Greek word aphorizo, the same word from which we get
our word horizon.
1) Ever notice how your Horizon
expands when you are taking off in an airplane . See Airport then all S.D.
/ Ocean/ Mts.
E) The higher you get the wider
the horizon. It is wonderful to be separated unto Christ because He brings you
to the place where your horizons are enlarged.
1) Life of adventure in
following the Lord - who knows what He has in store!
So
Paul begins Bondservant / Apostle / separated unto the gospel of God ! Now he
tells us about this gospel !
V.
2-4 2
which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,
3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the
seed of David according to the flesh,4
and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of
holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.
Jesus is at the Heart of the
gospel message and Paul sets Him before us in a 3-fold way in these 3 verses
A) 1st He is the
revealed one He promised before through
His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,
B)
Over 300 prophecies given concerning the 1st coming of Jesus ! You
read the O.T. & get the picture / someone is coming / Genesis in May ! /
O.T. picture book
C) 2ndly He is the Reigning One concerning His
Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the
flesh,
D) The New Testament begins and
ends with a reference to Jesus as the son of David (Matt. 1:1; Rev. 22:16). The
Messianic line was exhausted in Him.
1) Using the various
genealogies of the Old Testament, both Matthew and Luke trace His rightful
claim to the throne of David.
E) Paul states Christ's right to
reign in two ways. Positionally He
is "the seed of David."
Personally He is "Jesus Christ our Lord."
1) The world may deny Christ
yet we are called to serve Him as our Lord
3rd aspect Paul
reveals Christ as the Resurrected one ! declared to be the Son of God with power
according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.
A) Easter once a year /
everyday - Our faith is based on Fact Christ Rose! If He didn’t our faith is in
vain!
B) Some times people get
excited about ministry or the Lord in spurts / excited one week / bummed out
the next / why is that ?
1) Lose sight of the fact we
serve a Risen Lord ! He is alive !
C) Why was Paul so separated /
so dedicated / so radical / it wasn’t because he had embraced some theological
idea or Philosophy
1) It was because he had a
personal encounter w/ a Risen Lord !
/ We need to remember to have
that encounter on a daily basis !
D) Quote J. Maggee There is a Man in the glory, but the church
has lost sight of Him. We need to recover our awareness of Him. Are you having
personal contact with the living Christ today?
E)
Good Question :Paul Wrote in Col. 3:1 set
your mind on the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God !
So Paul presents Jesus to us
as the Revealed one / reigning one / resurrected one !
V.
5,6 Through Him we have received grace and
apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6
among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;
A) Notice grace comes before apostleship
/ because salvation comes before service !
B) Jesus says come unto me /
before he says Go into all the world
/ Commitment to the truth comes
before commitment to the task
1) Many well meaning people
fail to see this / Wesley on his way to try & convert the Indians / before
he himself was converted !
C) People still do that today
trying to share w/ kids but their own life is a mess / living in compromise Do
what I say not what I do
I want you to
notice that in these verses Paul gives us a 3-fold mandate for ministry !
A) 1st Attitude Obedience to the faith
B) 2nd Assignment - among all the nations
C) 3rd Authority
- His name
D) Affective ministry is as
simple as that - Attitude that says through the empowering of the H.S. in my
life I want to be obedient to go wherever / do whatever
1) In your name & for your
name !
The Next thing
that Paul does in his intro is he addresses those whom he is writing v. 7 To all who are in Rome, beloved
of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the
Lord Jesus Christ.
Note 3 things 1st they are beloved of God
! - God loves you tonight ! I hope you
never tire of hearing that !
A) 2nd Called Saints
- to be is not in the original text - Called Saints because a saint is not
something you become / hard work / what you are - once receive Christ
B) Magee puts it this way you are either a Saint or an Ain’t /
1) Saint = called out one -
called out by the Lord to be His kids to live for him!
C) Boy in Church Saints are those who the light shines
through !
D) 3rd
Grace & peace - These 2 have been called the Siamese twins of the N.T. because they are
always together & always in this order !
Reason?
1) Grace (charis)
was the gentile form of greeting, while peace (shalom) was the Jewish form of
greeting
E) But I don’t think the only
reason why the H.S. inspired Paul to begin his letters this way was to cover
both Greek & Hebrew greeting
1) Statement - Grace is always
before Peace / because there is no Peace w/ out Grace !
F) Been said grace
is who God is & Peace is the Result of knowing Him
Next we move
to Paul’s Prayer v.8-13 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you
all, that your faith is spoken of
throughout the whole world.
A) The church in Rome had a great testimony /
their faith was spoken of throughout the whole world !
B) This Church has a similar
testimony / Your faith & love are known throughout the whole world !
1) In Or. / Washington/
Virginia / Georgia/ Florida / Over seas /
C) I was asked yesterday by a neat
sister what my vision for missions was !
1) I have a big heart &
vision for missions / see wide open Horizons / we are still very committed to
Missions / big focus London
D) Trip to Hungary in June /
Russia in Sept. /We are still seeking to send people out all over / in fact
seeking to see people raised up in different Ways
E) Support people / average
Calvary / Intern program & school of ministry
F) But I also believe we need
to not lose sight of the mission fields in our own back yard !
If the person
who lives next door to us is going to hell & we never share w/ them / let
alone took the time to get to know them /
A) what does it matter that we
took 2 weeks & went over seas to witness
B) There are 30,000 college age
students who in the 3 schools in our area / many of them don’t know Christ
! There is a mission Field . Camp Pendleton
1) High school & Jr. High
campuses / your neighborhoods
C) Point / Equip / Send !
V.9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit
in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in
my prayers,10 making request if, by
some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you.11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to
you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established;12 that is, that I may be encouraged together
with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.13 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often
planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some
fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.
Paul mentions here that he prays w/ out
ceasing for these People / The Greek phrase w/out ceasing speaks of a tickle in
the throat
A) In other words to pray w/out
ceasing means to go through your day praying as often & reflexively a you
would cough to suppress a tickle in your throat
B) Driving down street see
someone in the fellowship / Lord brings someone to mind - shoot up a prayer Lord bless them today
1) In doing so you are praying
w/out ceasing ! Wonderful thing !
Move on to
Paul’s Passion ! V.14-17 Looked at
this in-depth on Sunday
I am a debtor
both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.
15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to
preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power
of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for
the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is
revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by
faith."
In v. 14-16
Paul makes 3 I am statement that reveal his burden, his boldness &the
reason for his boldness his
belief .
A) His Burden - I am
debtor to the World
B) His boldness - I am ready to preach the gospel to you in Rome
1) Paul was always ready to
preach the gospel wherever he went/ he wasn’t ashamed ! why?
C) His Belief - it is the power of God to
salvation for everyone who believes
1) Gospel is a powerful message
! Life changing / transforming !
Paul’s
absolute Confidence in the gospel message was based on 3 things
1st
its Supremacy He knew it to be far superior to any religion or philosophy ever known
on earth.
A) The world of Paul's day was
dominated by three lines of thought—the Greek, the Roman, and the Hebrew;
1) but Greek logic, Roman law
and Hebrew light all paled before the
gospel.
None could pull man out of the pit he was in !
2ndly Paul's confidence in the
gospel was based on its sufficiency .It
is the power of
God to
salvation ! A)
The world does not need a better system of education, more social reform, new
ideas in religion. It needs the gospel. The gospel message grips the mind, stabs the
conscience, warms the heart, saves the soul and sanctifies the life.
It can make drunken men sober, crooked men straight
& perverted people pure.
B) It is a message sufficient to transform the life
of any who believe.3rdly Paul's
confidence in the gospel was based on its simplicity. It is the power of God unto salvation "to every ore that believes
."
A) Could anything be simpler
than that? The gospel call is to a simple trust in God's Son, the Lord Jesus
Christ, as your personal Savior from sin!
B) Note v.
17 in closing For in it/ the
gospel the righteousness of God is revealed from
faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."
C) We will see as we go through
this book where Paul makes it very plain that man has fallen short of the
righteousness of God revealed in the Law
1) Turn Ch. 3:21 But now the righteousness of God apart from
the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith
in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.
D) There is a righteousness of
God that is apart from the law - through faith in the finished work of Jesus
clothed in His righteousness
1) Faith in his finished work !
Note It IS [from faith to faith." In other
words, the righteousness of God is received by faith and reproduced by
faith. W. E. Vine puts it this way:
"'From faith' points to the initial act; 'to faith to the life of faith
which issues from it.