Our Aim with God's Gospel
Romans: Unashamed - Building the Church through the Gospel • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 1 viewNotes
Transcript
Introduction
Angie and I enjoy watching Americas Got Talent. Of course it is a talent show that has all kinds of varieties of talent from across the county and even the world. It’s pretty cool.
But, I will tell you this...
I really, really, really, really, dislike those acts where they throw knives at people...
I can’t hardly watch!
They have to hit the target every time! They cannot miss! If they do, it will be a big bloody mess!
What compels them to do this? The thrill? The spectacle? The fame?
In the end it is just entertainment. But as followers of Christ we are to be about so much more with the lives He has entrusted to us.
Because we are people of Grace, we should have a special compulsion. We must be compelled to share his glory!
Main Idea: God’s Grace Compels Christians to Reach the UnReached!
That’s the essence of what Paul addresses in these verses, the profound transformation that occurs when you grasp the depth of God's grace, what you truly deserve, and the lavish grace He bestows upon you. Now, as we delve into the heart of the sermon, we'll explore three essential actions that this understanding should compel you to undertake in reaching the lost for Christ.
Embrace the Purpose of Grace (vs. 15-16)
Paul, after commending the church at Rome for their competency in the scriptures and their ability to admonish one another reminds them that he too needed to admonish them in some areas throughout this important letter.
Look at verses 15...
15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God
Paul spoke the truth in love to this church in Rome and the result was this letter that we have walked through over the past three years (8/30/20 was the first sermon in this series).
What was he bold about?
The purpose of the church
Sin - everybody falls in this category
The Jewish Nation
The Gentile people
A new people - Christian.
Faith - always been about faith
The Great Love of God
Walking in the flesh verses walking in the Spirit (7-8)
Chapters 9-11 how God isn’t finished with the nation of Israel.
Living as a sacrifice to God
Living in submission to the God ordained government.
Living without passing judgment on one another - Christian liberty
These are the things Paul boldly reminded this church of.
What was Paul’s motivation for reminding them?
Because God called him to the position of Apostle.
15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God
Paul became an apostle for no other reason than God saved a wicked sinner and purposed to put him into the ministry for His good purposes.
10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”
Even Paul understood who he was...
9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
This is Paul’s point in verse 16
15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
Paul was, by the grace of God, redeemed not just for his on personal benefit, but he became a...
δοῦλος Ἰησοῦ⸃ Χριστοῦ
Paul was a slave of Jesus. That sounds so terrible to our ears, but to Paul it was the highest privilege.
After all, it’s a rather binary thing, isn’t it. You are already a slave to sin. but for those in Christ, we are slaves to him!
15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul was a committed slave with a significant task to accomplish. One that was foretold in the Old Testament.
He uses the term “priestly” because he is, like in the Old Testament” viewing his role as a priest who makes an offering...
Look back at verse 16...
16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
Isn’t this an amazing statement from Paul? He is saying that he, who is the Apostle to the gentiles is going to the gentiles to retrieve some of them for salvation. Those that he has retrieved are his offering to our God!
Just as the priest gathered the sheep as an offering to God in the Jewish Old Testament sacrificial system, so Paul gathered the sheep for God in the New Testament Church.
This is why we can echo Paul’s sentiment in Romans 12:1
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
God used Paul to reach people for Christ who God made, in turn sanctified or holy for His glory!
That’s what he says here in the verse. God makes holy people through the power of His Holy Spirit so that God may receive glory upon glory.
Your salvation is about God’s glory more than it is about your rescue. God saving you and making you holy should cause you to glorify Him.
And Paul recognized his priestly privilege in this amazing process.
God saved Paul so Paul would be a tool to reach others with God’s glorious good news.
And guess what, friends, you are not called to be an Apostle in the big “A” sense - But you are called to be an apostle in the little “a” sense. In this sense you are a “sent one.”
God’s grace doesn’t simply save us, God’s grace makes us useful for His ministry!
You are not saved to sit, you are saved to serve.
Argumentation - There are two reasons you should be compelled to reach others with the gospel.
We get to be a part of rescuing people from eternal Hell.
We get to be a part of creating more worshipers.
Illustration - “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't.”
― John Piper
Application - So, the question for you is what compels you? What drives you? What is your purpose for living here on this earth as a follower of Christ?
Are you compelled to live out the American Dream?
Are you driven to have a significant bank account and retire in ease and comfort?
Is your purpose pleasure at all cost?
What is the purpose of God’s grace in your life? Is it just for your salvation? Or is there something more?
There is something MUCH MORE! God’s grace compelled Paul to reach people for Jesus.
That should be true of you as well.
God’s grace should compel to serve Him! Especially in the area of reaching those in your life that are yet to be reached with the gospel.
Review - God’s Grace Compels Christians to Reach the UnReached!
Embrace the Purpose of Grace
2. Magnify Jesus, the Focus of Your Ministry (vs. 17-19)
It is very easy for those who are serving God faithfully to get their focus off and begin to think more highly about themselves than they ought. Thinking they are necessary for God to get His will accomplished.
Newsflash - you and I are not necessary for God to get His will accomplished. However, He, because of His grace, chooses to use his children for their good and HIs glory!
So we shouldn’t magnify ourselves in God’s work, but Jesus.
Take a look at verses 17-19...
17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ;
Explanation - Our ministry is not about us. Our ministry is a privilege given to us to represent Christ well and give Him glory.
Now, I want you to see that Paul is “proud of his work.” This is not the sinful pride that gets us into so much trouble. No, think of it this way, Paul is satisfied with the work he has accomplished on behalf of the Lord.
And please notice that even though he is proud of his work, he gives all the glory to God. Paul understands that anything of eternal value that He has accomplished was only possible because of God’s power in him.
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
Argumentation - So, Paul is proud of his work In Christ!
It is in Christ that he is empowered to accomplish amazing eternal things! And he did! Just read the New Testament!
Now is this exclusively for Paul? The answer is a resounding, NO!
You can and should work for the Lord and accomplish great things! You have been, as a follower of Jesus, entrusted with some amazing gifts. Those gifts are meant to be spent in serving the Lord Jesus Christ. Why? Because of who He is!
18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
So, how do we not become a menace in the ministry? How do we serve God without becoming prideful and self-exulting?
Take a page from John the baptist...
30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Again, Paul makes it clear that this is ONLY accomplished by and through the power of God. Look at verse 19...
19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ;
The Spirit of God worked through Paul with signs and wonders (thus authenticating his apostolic ministry) so that God’s gospel went forth and accomplished what the book of Acts declared...
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Illustration - Guess what you are in the ministry. And, by the way, if you are a Christian, you are in the ministry - or at least you should be..
But guess what you are...
A Magnifying glass. You know! What does a magnifying glass do? It magnifies things to make them more visible.
When you want to read something that is too small, you grab a magnifying glass which make the letters appear larger so you can read!
That’s what you do in relation to Jesus. You magnify Him! Your life is a magnifying glass that makes Jesus visible to the world.
You may be the only Christ someone ever sees!
If this axiom is true, what do people see when they look at you?
Application - So, what can you do to magnify Jesus in the ministry He has entrusted to you? Many things, but here are three...
Daily Prayer: Encourage daily prayer focused on magnifying Jesus in your ministry and personal life.
Service with Love: Remind them to serve others with love, mirroring Jesus' compassion and humility.
Evaluate Motives: Challenge your congregation to regularly evaluate their motives in ministry. Is it genuinely about magnifying Jesus?
Review - God’s Grace Compels Christians to Reach the UnReached!
Embrace the Purpose of Grace
Magnify Jesus, the Focus of Your Ministry
3. Pursue the Goal of the Gospel (vs. 20-21)
Michael Hyatt is the guru of goal setting. He is big into casting vision for oneself and setting goals to accomplish this vision.
He has built a business on setting goals to accomplish a vision, whatever one’s personal vision might be.
Do you think God has a vision? What are God’s goals?
What is God’s vision? What was Paul’s vision for the gospel? What do you think the goal of the gospel is?
Paul tells us his goal with the gospel. And I suspect his goal aligns with God’s heart quite well.
Take a look at verses 20-21...
20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, 21 but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”
Explanation - Paul’s goal for his responsibility of communicating the gospel (his ministry) was to reach those who have never hear the precious message.
First of all the sense of the word “ambition” is “aspiration.” Paul has a particular aspiration with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
By the way, what is your aspiration with the precious news of the Gospel?
The word gospel, εὐαγγελίζεσθαι is a verb and it means to convey or communicate the Gospel. Gospel meaning “good news.”
Again, I ask you, what is your aspiration, your goal in conveying the good news that Jesus Christ, the creator of all that is left heaven to live a sinless life, thus qualifying Him as a perfect sacrifice for sin, die as a substitute for you on the cruel cross, put to death by his own creation, to rescue His creation from eternal death, then after his death on the cross which satisfied God’s wrath against you he then rose from the dead proving his power over, not only his own death but yours as well.
In other words Jesus died for you, paying your sin debt to God, so you don’t need to pay this debt in Hell for all eternity.
This is the gospel my friends. And so I ask you again, what is your aspiration with this glorious, life-giving, freedom inducing, good news?
Do you aspire to keep it to yourself or share it?
Do you aspire to know it well so you can communicate it well?
Do you aspire to make it part of your DNA so that you naturally praise God in front of others because you have not gotten over what God has done for you?
What is your goal, ambition, aspiration with the precious Good News from God?
I know what Paul’s was. The text is clear...
It was his ambition to preach the gospel…to convey the gospel to those who needed it most.
Before we go any farther, I must be clear about something. Paul says he preaches the gospel. Paul doesn’t say he lives his faith out in front of others in hopes that that will somehow transform someone’s life into a follower of Jesus. Yes we need to be good examples. Yes we need to offer a cup of cold water in the name of Christ. But those actions do not save people. It may soften their heart for the gospel, but those action will not redeem a soul.
The gospel must be articulated.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
You needed to hear the word of God - the gospel in order to be saved.
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.
Your friends and those in your circle need to hear it as well.
Paul’s goal was to preach the gospel in places that Christ’s name was not known. Paul was a church planter at heart. He desired to go to places where there was zero understanding of Christ.
As you think about this you might understand why Paul felt this way. In a sense, he would have a clean slate to work from. Unadulterated from aberrant views of Christ and Christianity. He could preach and teach pure doctrine that would help the new church flourish and grow in grace and truth.
Maybe there are some of you in our midst that God is calling to this kind of missionary endevor. Maybe even right now the Lord is pulling on you to consider going to a place where Christ is not even known.
According to David Platt - Over 3 billion people in over 7,000 people groups are currently unreached by the Gospel. They are on a road that leads to an eternal hell without ever even hearing how they can go to heaven.
The term “unreached” does not just mean that people are lost. Unreached means that people don’t have access to the Gospel. It’s not that they can hear or have heard the Gospel, and they choose not to believe it; it’s that they can’t even hear it because no one around them knows it. Here’s a technical definition of the unreached:
Unreached peoples and places are those among whom Jesus is largely unknown and the church is relatively insufficient to make Jesus known in its broader population without outside help.
https://radical.net/article/great-commission-statistics-concern/
Is the Lord calling you to this kind of ministry? I truly hope there are some here that would give their lives so those in the unreached category could be reached with the precious Good News that they can be saved from the wrath of God. Is God convicting you now? Don’t ignore what He might be doing and desires to do though you.
But what about those of us who God isn’t moving to move to the 10/40 window?
Well, even though we are in a churched area, I will tell you that gospel witness is abysmally low. Churches are more interested in nickels and noses, or to put it more crassly, butts in seats than reaching the lost.
I hear of church in our area that are playing secular rock music in a worship service to try and draw people in.
How can we use the unholy to make someone holy? Does God really need these kinds of gimmicks to bring conviction on a soul and bring them to a saving understanding of the gospel? Absolutely not!
By the way, this service is not geared for the salvation of souls. It is designed for WORSHIP! You are here, as the gathered body of Christ for one purpose - the deserved corporate WORSHIP of God!
When we leave this place we enter the mission field with the aspiration, goal, the ambition to reach the lost for Christ.
and when we do reach the lost for Christ, what do we do with them? We bring them here on Sunday to WORSHIP God!
Evangelism is about creating new WORSHIPERS so our God can receive more glory, honor, praise and WORHIP!
Remember John Piper’s quote?
“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't.”
― John Piper
Imagine this - God desires to use you to make more people who will worship Him. Is there any greater calling that we can have as humans than to worship God?
And you and I get to help others become worshippers which is the greatest activity they can do with their lives!
So Evangelism is more than rescuing people from eternal wrath as wonderful as this is. It is far more. It is actuallly given people the greatest of eternal purposes - Worship of the God who Created all that is.
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
So some of us are called to reach the unreached - this was Paul’s ambition
Some of us are called to reach the circle God has placed us in.
All of us are to preach to gospel to all who have ears to hear.
I want to encourage you with something. While sharing the gospel should be your goal as a follower of Christ, it is not just your goal.
It’s God’s goal. He is the first and the best missionary. And he
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
It’s God’s goal to reach the world for Christ and He will empower you and me to get it done.
He doesn’t need you and me, but it is His will to use us to reach others.
So, big question for you this morning - do your aspirations for the Gospel align with God? Are your gospel goals the same as His?
Argumentation - Acts 1:8 say you WILL be my witnesses. Not, you might be my witnesses.
Illustration - The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose.
C. S. Lewis
Application - So, if you know what God’s goal is with the gospel and that He empowers you to get it done, are you accomplishing the preaching or sharing of the gospel?
Are you speaking the truth about people’s sin, and their need for a savior? Do you have the same goal as God when it comes to the gospel? Are you compelled to reach the unreached or at least those in your circle of influence?
What can you do?
My Circle Training
Pray for one person to come to Christ.
Talk to them once per week about their life, interests, and so forth.
Purpose to share the gospel with them once per month
What might God do through you if you simply purposed to embrace your purpose of bringing people to Jesus?
Review - God’s Grace Compels Christians to Reach the UnReached!
Embrace the Purpose of Grace
Magnify Jesus, the Focus of Your Ministry
Pursue the Goal of the Gospel
Conclusion
Practical application
Application Point 1: Commit to Prayer Encourage your congregation to commit to regular, intentional prayer for the unreached, both globally and in their own communities. Suggest that they create a list of specific individuals or groups and set aside time daily or weekly to intercede on their behalf.
Application Point 2: Prioritize Christ-Centered Ministry Challenge your audience to evaluate their ministries, whether in church leadership, volunteer work, or personal interactions. Urge them to prioritize magnifying Jesus in all they do, ensuring that their actions and decisions are driven by a desire to exalt Christ.
Application Point 3: Set Gospel-Centered Goals Encourage your congregation to set specific goals for spreading the gospel. Whether it's sharing the message with a certain number of people each month, participating in community outreach programs, or supporting missionary efforts, encourage them to make concrete plans and commitments to pursue the goal of the gospel.
Now the minister has a power given him of God, to be considered both the father and the mother of those born to God, for the apostle said he travailed in birth for souls till Christ was formed in them. What can we do then? We can now appeal to the Spirit. I know I have preached the gospel, that I have preached it earnestly; I challenge my Master to honour his own promise. He has said it shall not return unto me void, and it shall not. It is in his hands, not mine. I cannot compel you, but thou O Spirit of God who hast the key of the heart, thou canst compel. - C.H. Spurgeon
https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/compel-them-to-come-in/#flipbook/
Visualization - Imagine what God could do with us if we appealed to the Spirit to use His Word through our mouths? It would simply blow our minds.
Connection Group Reflection Questions
How has God's grace compelled you in your life and ministry? Share a personal experience or reflection on how grace has shaped your purpose as a Christian.
In your own ministry or service, how do you ensure that Jesus is at the center? Can you share practical steps or examples of how you magnify Jesus in your actions and leadership?
Reflect on your commitment to the gospel and reaching the unreached. What specific goals or actions can you set to further pursue the goal of the gospel in your life and church community?
Who are you praying for daily?
Who are you engaging with weekly?
Who are you sharing the gospel with monthly?